• Boundiali gold resources rise to 3.03 million ounces

• Aurum plans 100,000-meter drilling ahead of mine development

• Pre-feasibility study due this quarter, DFS by year-end

Australian operator Aurum Resources said Monday that mineral resources at its Boundiali gold project in Côte d'Ivoire have reached 3.03 million ounces, nearly double a year earlier, as the company prepares to break ground on the mine this year.

Mineral resources at Boundiali stood at 1.59 million ounces in January 2025. Aurum revised the estimate upward in July 2025 and then increased it by a further 26%, pushing it above the 3-million-ounce mark. The company said the updated estimate is likely to be revised again later this year, with a 100,000-meter diamond drilling program planned to better define identified deposits and nearby prospects.

“The year ahead marks a crucial transition for Aurum, with our ambitious 100,000-meter diamond drilling program for 2026 already under way at Boundiali,” Chief Executive Caigen Wang said. “We remain focused on testing priority targets that have yet to be drilled and on assessing the depth and strike extensions of deposits that remain open.”

The steady expansion of Boundiali’s resource base underpins Aurum’s push to accelerate development of a new mine at the site. The company plans to publish a pre-feasibility study before the end of the current quarter, outlining the project’s key technical and economic parameters. A definitive feasibility study is expected by year-end, aimed at finalizing the mine plan and defining the operational framework.

These steps come amid rising gold prices. Progress at Boundiali will be closely watched, as success could support Côte d’Ivoire’s efforts to sustain growth in national gold output, with several other projects also under development.

Aurel Sèdjro Houenou