Gold in Côte d’Ivoire: Slowed Down, Resolute Unveils Its Plan to Keep the ABC Project Afloat

Already engaged in the construction of the Doropo mine (Doropo is located in northeastern Côte d’Ivoire approximately 480km north of Abidjan), Resolute Mining wants to accelerate its second Ivorian project, ABC. However, a first attempt to do so was revoked last May by the Australian securities regulator.

In Côte d’Ivoire, Australian mining company Resolute Mining plans to invest between 15 and 25 million Australian dollars (10.4 to 17.4 million USD) over the next 12 to 18 months in its ABC gold project. Unveiled on Wednesday, July 22, this plan aims to accelerate the development of an asset whose initial economic assessment was caught up earlier this year by market regulations.

Last May, the group published an economic evaluation intended to lay the groundwork for a future mine on the site. It described an asset capable of producing an average of 141,000 ounces of gold per year over 12 years, at a cost of 648 million USD. However, this framework was quickly invalidated by the ASX, the Australian stock exchange on which Resolute is listed.

The issue was the high level of uncertainty surrounding the 2.16 million ounces of inferred mineral resources on which the study relied a category that requires consolidation with more reliable data, such as indicated or measured resources.

The new investment plan directly addresses this requirement. Specifically, the funds will finance a drilling campaign of over 80,000 meters aimed at converting current inferred resources now increased to 3.02 million ounces into the indicated category. This campaign will be accompanied by new feasibility studies, environmental assessments, and metallurgical testing, as well as the initiation of regulatory steps required to obtain the project's mining permits, with the entire process expected to conclude by the end of 2027.

"We are now focusing on the next phase of de-risking the project and advancing feasibility studies. These objectives will be met through the approved work program, which will include additional drilling, metallurgical testing, environmental and social baseline studies, and permitting processes […]. The ABC project is being developed with the goal of becoming Resolute's fourth mine in West Africa and our second mine in Côte d’Ivoire," stated Chris Eger, the group's Managing Director.

Through this approach, the company seeks to give a fresh push to the project. The ultimate goal is to position ABC as its next gold mine, after Doropo, which is already under construction and also located in Côte d’Ivoire. This trajectory fits into a broader West African expansion strategy for the producer, which already operates the Syama gold mine in Mali and the Mako mine in Senegal.

For now, however, the realization of Resolute Mining's ambitions for ABC remains uncertain. Beyond the effective mobilization of the announced investments, the group's ability to execute work on the ground according to its schedule represents the next challenge. For Côte d’Ivoire, which aims to gain momentum in the African gold sector through its projects under development, these dynamics remain to be closely monitored. Their evolution will determine whether ABC can be converted into an industrial site generating, in time, mining revenues and local jobs.