• Desert Gold will spend $535,000 on its first exploration program in Côte d’Ivoire starting Q4 2025.

• The program targets the 297 km² Tiegba permit, where the company can earn up to 90% interest.

• Drilling of 6,000 meters is planned to test anomalies and mineral continuity by mid-2026.

Canadian junior Desert Gold will start its first exploration campaign in Côte d’Ivoire in the fourth quarter of 2025, the company announced Friday. The program will focus on the Tiegba project, where Desert Gold holds an option to acquire up to 90% interest.

The 297 km² permit remains largely unexplored but lies near established operations such as the Agbaou and Yaouré gold mines. Desert Gold added Tiegba to its portfolio in June 2025, diversifying its footprint beyond Mali.

Desert Gold allocated an initial budget of $535,000 for the program, which will extend through the third quarter of 2026. Activities will include mapping, geochemical sampling, rock sampling, and a drone-supported airborne magnetic survey.

The company also plans 3,500 meters of air-core drilling to test main gold anomalies, followed by 2,500 meters of reverse-circulation drilling in mid-2026 to confirm mineralization continuity at depth.

At the end of the program, Desert Gold aims to define drill targets and prepare a plan to evaluate Tiegba’s deposit potential. “With Tiegba, Desert Gold strengthens its position in West Africa, in one of the continent’s most attractive jurisdictions for gold investment,” the company said.

Côte d’Ivoire has recently drawn strong investor interest. Earlier this month, at the Africa Down Under mining conference, the country was described as the “best place in the world” to develop a gold mine.

Before moving into Côte d’Ivoire, Desert Gold was active solely in Mali, where its SMSZ project hosts measured and indicated resources of 310,300 ounces and inferred resources of 769,200 ounces of gold.

This article was initially published in French by Emiliano Tossou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum