West African gold explorer Aurum Resources has delivered another round of solid gold hits from its flagship 3.22-million-ounce Boundiali gold project in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa, extending known gold mineralisation across three key deposits within its extensive BM tenement area, just weeks before completing a planned major resource update.
The company has unveiled assays from 60 diamond drillholes totalling 10,649 metres put into its BMT1, BMT2 and BMT3 deposits, three separate but closely spaced gold zones clustered in the northern third of its 80 per cent-owned BM tenement. The work forms part of Aurum's recently expanded 150,000m diamond drilling campaign to expand the Boundiali project’s already significant combined resource base.
The latest results from the northernmost BMT1 deposit, which already hosts a gold resource of 320,000 ounces, include a solid 29-metre intersection grading 2.08 grams per tonne gold (g/t) from 167m downhole depth. That intercept includes a richer 20.24-metre core at 2.82g/t gold. A second hole at the prospect returned 29.38m at 1.08g/t gold from 108.22m depth, containing a higher-grade slice of 2.09m at 7.38g/t gold.
At the BMT3 deposit, 12 kilometres south of BMT1 and featuring an impressive 18.6 million tonne resource for 750,000 ounces of gold, drilling hit a notable 5.85m assaying 8.77g/t gold from 335.15m, including a punchy 3.85-metre section at 13.02g/t gold. A second mentionable intercept in the same ground yielded 18.5m at 2.54g/t gold from a shallow 49.5m, containing a 7-metre zone at 5.54g/t gold.
Significantly, drilling at the BMT2 prospect, contiguous with and west of BMT1 and currently without a defined resource, also returned encouraging results, including 7.46m at 1.34g/t gold from 84m, including 2.46m at 3.40g/t gold. A second hole gave up 9.49m at 0.94g/t gold from 80.51m, including 3.49m running 2g/t gold. Management says its latest work at BMT2 is aimed at establishing a maiden inferred resource for the prospect.
The company's drilling campaign across the BM ground comprised a mix of infill, step-out and extensional holes to test the limits of the mineralisation, upgrade inferred resources to the higher-confidence indicated category and establish new resources.
Aurum says gold mineralisation at the BM deposits remains open along strike and at depth, pointing to significant resource growth potential. Results from this latest drilling batch will inform the company's next Boundiali mineral resource estimate update, targeted for early this quarter.
The company is in an unusual and enviable position, operating its own fleet of 16 diamond drill rigs, a strategic advantage that lets it aggressively explore its vast holdings across a wide footprint, avoid delays, manage rig servicing, and fast-track resource growth.
Aurum aims to drill a whopping 180,000m this calendar year, with 150,000m proposed to test its plethora of Boundiali targets and another 30,000m planned for its 1.16 million ounce Napié gold project, an estimated 100km southeast of Boundiali. The combined group resource for Aurum - including Boundiali and Napié - currently stands at a hefty 4.38 million ounces of gold.
Aurum Resources managing director Dr Caigen Wang said: “A cash balance of more than A$95 million and our own fleet of 16 diamond rigs let us run drilling, studies and permitting concurrently at Boundiali. We received environmental approval in May 2026 and delivered the Pre-Feasibility Study and Maiden Ore Reserve in June 2026. Our focus now is grant of the Mining Licences and completion of the DFS, with the goal of finalising funding and starting construction in early CY2027, targeting first gold in H1 CY2028.”
Aurum’s work at Boundiali is not just about finding more gold; it is also systematically moving the project towards development. A prefeasibility study delivered in June outlined a maiden probable ore reserve of 1.21 million ounces of gold, and environmental approvals were received in May. The company is now focused on completing a definitive feasibility study, timed for later this year.
With a war chest of more than A$95 million following a recent placement, Aurum has plenty of financial firepower to push ahead with drilling, permitting and technical studies.
And with its myriad drill bits boring furiously into Boundiali and Napié, a looming resource update and a definitive feasibility study on the way, Aurum looks like a well-oiled machine running fully on song as it drives its massive Boundiali project towards production.
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By Doug Bright
