est Africa is fast becoming the new frontier for gold mining on the continent.According to Francois Hardy, senior regional vice president for Africa at gold producer Newmont, while large parts of the region still remain unexplored, the company is continuing to add reserves at its various sites in Ghana.Newmont currently operates two mines in Ghana – Ahafo situated 307km from Accra, and the nearby Akyem, an open pit mine that started production in 2013.The latest development for the company is the Ahafa North projects, a stand-alone operation some 30km from the existing Ahafa mine operations.“Ahafa North is the best unmined deposit in West Africa,” said Hardy. Estimated to generate an annual average production of 260 000 ounces, the mine is expected to have a lifespan of 13 years.According to Hardy this site contains about 3.4 million ounces of reserves and more than one million ounces of resources.Speaking in Cape Town, he said the scope of the proposed project included construction of a stand-alone ore processing plant as well as ancillary facilities and water storage.“A f r i c a maintains a solid platform for future growth,” said Ha rdy.Newmont also expanded its mill operations in Ghana in October last year at a cost of approximately $175 million. AngloGold Ashanti is also investing heavily in expanding its operations at the Obuasi mine, also in Ghana, where it pouredfirst gold in December. With a 30-million-ounce ore body, the mine has been re-opened by Anglo Gold Ashanti following a five-year redevelopment project.According to CEO Kelvin Dushnisky, underground mine development is ongoing with the construction of new plant and infrastructure continuing throughout 2020.While Ghana continues to lead the way, several other countries in the region are starting to attract attention. In Mali, the Syama gold mine was operating one of the most advanced automated mining systems in the world, said John Welborn, MD and CEO of Resolute Mining. Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea and Burkina Faso were also draw ing mining houses’ attention and exploration in the region had increased significantly, he added.According to Dushnisky, developing a robust pipeline of optionsstrategy for most mining houses. He said it was important to consistently invest in exploration not only in West Africa but across regions.Mark Bristow, Barrick Gold president and chief executive, said its Loulo-Gounkoto complex in Mali had outperformed expectations in 2019 and was still managing to replace depleted reserves through successful brownfields exploration and resource conversion.“With the development of the complex’s third underground mine scheduled to start in the fourth quarter of this year, and an intensive exploration programme in the Kenieba region, Loulo-Gounkoto has significant growth potential and is well placed to meet all the targets of its 10-year plan,” he said.Bristow said he remained bullish about West African gold mining.
INSERT: Syama gold mine is operating one of the most advanced automated mining systems in the world.– John Welborn