• Oriole Resources aims to secure the Bibemi mining permit by end-Q2 2026 after Cameroon approved the project’s environmental and social impact assessment.

• The Bibemi deposit hosts an estimated 460,000 ounces of indicated and inferred mineral resources, making it Oriole’s most advanced asset in Cameroon.

• Oriole raised £2.03 million to accelerate work across its Bibemi and Mbe gold projects, including a forthcoming preliminary economic assessment.

Oriole Resources announced on Thursday, 20 November, that it aims to obtain the Bibemi exploitation permit by the end of the second quarter of 2026. The permit will authorise the company to move ahead with mine construction.

The announcement follows the approval of the environmental and social impact assessment (ESIA) for the deposit, which includes 460,000 ounces of indicated and inferred resources. The ESIA confirmation represents a critical step in the permitting process, which the company must complete before launching construction activities.

Oriole initiated the required procedures in 2023 and reports that Cameroon’s Ministry of Environment, Nature Protection and Sustainable Development (MINEPDED) has now validated the study. This validation opens the way for continued negotiations on the mining permit.

The company also plans to advance on-the-ground development at Bibemi. Management expects to release a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) soon, alongside several “additional technical studies.”

Oriole updated the Bibemi resource estimate in May and indicated its intention to carry out further work to increase confidence in the current resources. At present, the project’s mineral potential does not yet justify mine construction, and further studies are required to convert resources into mineable reserves.

In parallel, Oriole continues to advance exploration at Mbe, its other gold asset in Cameroon. The company recently raised £2.03 million ($2.6 million) to accelerate operations across both projects.

This article was initially published in French by Aurel Sèdjro Houenou

Adapted in English by Ange Jason Quenum