ASX-listed Manas Resources local partner Eburnea Gold Resources (EGR), in Côte d’Ivoire, has been granted a new mineral permit.
Manas holds an 80% interest in the permit area, which is subject to the sole funding exploration expenditure and meeting minimum yearly expenditure commitments.
The permit is close to the regional town of Bouaké and is about 20 km south of the Fetekro project of gold producer Endeavour Mining, which hosts gold resources of about 1.2-million ounces at a 2.5 g/t gold grading.
In the coming months, Manas intends to cover the whole of the Bouaké North licence with a regional soil sampling programme and assess artisanal mining activity while simultaneously undertaking geological mapping to identify prospective targets for follow-up geophysical and geochemical surveys.
Meanwhile, at the M’bengué gold project, also in Côte d'Ivoire, Manas will begin a 3 500 m auger drilling programme at the M’bengué permit next week.
Manas has also completed a regional soil sampling programme over the adjacent and recently-granted Dielle permit.
Results from these programmes are expected by May.