• Desert Gold to acquire 90% stake in Tiegba gold project in Côte d’Ivoire
• Deal includes $450,000 cash payment and 1.5 million Desert Gold shares
• Company targets West Africa’s growing gold potential after Mali’s SMSZ project

Desert Gold announced on June 23 it has signed an option agreement with Flower Holdings to acquire a 90% stake in the Tiegba gold project in Côte d’Ivoire. The deal involves a cash payment of $450,000 and the issuance of 1.5 million Desert Gold shares to Flower Holdings.

This marks the Canadian mining company’s first expansion into Côte d’Ivoire as part of its broader strategy to strengthen its footprint in West Africa.

Desert Gold is already developing the SMSZ project in Mali, which hosts measured and indicated gold resources of 310,300 ounces and inferred resources of 769,200 ounces. If all conditions of the agreement are met, the Tiegba project will be added to the company’s portfolio.

Tiegba covers a 297 km² permit area that remains largely underexplored but is located near major gold operations such as Agbaou (Allied Gold) and Yaouré (Perseus Mining).

“The completion of the Tiegba option agreement is a major milestone diversifying the Company into a regional West African player,” said Jared Scharf, CEO of Desert Gold. “During the spring, our technical team evaluated a dozen projects in the region covering over 1,000km2. Tiegba ticked all the boxes.”

Desert Gold joins a growing list of mining companies focused on West Africa’s gold potential, with Côte d’Ivoire emerging as a new production hub. According to Crux Investor, the region has seen 95 million ounces of gold discovered over the past 20 years, surpassing leading gold regions like Canada (61 million ounces) and Australia (29 million ounces).

As part of its development plan, Desert Gold will conduct a geophysical survey across the entire Tiegba property to improve its understanding of the asset. The survey will lay the groundwork for further exploration, leading to the first drilling program on the site.

Meanwhile, in Mali, Desert Gold is advancing a Preliminary Economic Assessment (PEA) for the SMSZ project.