Gold exploration and development company Cora Gold has outlined a more than 12 000 m reverse circulation and diamond drilling programme at its Sanankoro gold project, in Mali, targeting both resource expansion at existing deposits and new discoveries at high-priority greenfield targets.

The campaign will focus heavily on Zone B, C and Selin, all located within Sanankoro while also testing underexplored strike extensions and nearby targets, with an updated mineral resource estimate (MRE) expected after assay results are received.

The programme is designed to extend mine life and position Sanankoro for longer-term scale growth beyond the current ten-year production plan, following on from the successful financing activities in the first half of this year, which fully funded Sanankoro through to production.

Cora is now focused on unlocking the project’s long-term potential through an extensive resource growth and exploration programme.

The 2026 drill programme will target both extensions to existing deposits and a number of highly prospective near-mine greenfield targets, offering the potential for rapid conversion into future mine plan feed.

Drill allocation is weighted toward Zone B at 40%, followed by Selin at 30%, Zone A and C at 25% and 5%, respectively, will be allocated towards early-stage greenfield exploration targets.

Zone B is expected to be the primary focus with ongoing work centered on mineralised zones, active artisanal workings, limited deeper drilling and the strong potential to improve resource continuity within the current model.

The planned drilling programme at Zone B is designed to improve resource continuity at depth and reduce irregularities along the lower boundaries of the current MRE model, while Selin is focused on the southern portion of the deposit, where historical drilling remains relatively shallow and widely spaced, thereby limiting the current interpretation of mineralisation continuity and overall scale potential.

The planned drilling programme at Zone C will focus on the central portion of the deposit, where infill drilling at about 50 m spacing is designed to improve geological confidence, strengthen mineral resource continuity and support future resource classification upgrades.

“Our 2025 definitive feasibility study demonstrated that Sanankoro is a robust, high-margin gold project with a ten-year mine life and compelling economics. As we move towards construction and production, the objective of this drill campaign is to extend beyond the initial mine plan to unlock the much larger long-term opportunity across the wider project area we believe is there to be drilled out,” says Cora CEO Bert Monro.

Greenfield drilling will test several undrilled targets situated near existing and planned infrastructure, where successful drilling could support rapid resource growth and incorporation into future mine plans, and exploration activities will continue across the wider Sanankoro permit package, which hosts five major gold-bearing structures and numerous emerging exploration targets.

Updated MREs will be compiled following the completion of the programme and assay results.

“With full construction funding now secured, Cora is in the positive position of being able to advance mine development while at the same time investing in resource growth and new discoveries. We believe the current resource base is just the starting point and, as evidenced in previous drill campaigns, Sanankoro will increase in size significantly with more drilling in the coming years with this being the first phase of that plan.

“This programme is designed not only to extend mine life, but also to create the foundation for a larger-scale operation over time through additional resources and higher production potential with continued exploration success,” Monro concludes.