Atlantic Lithium Ltd (AIM:ALL, OTCQX:ALLIF, ASX:A11) told investors it has discovered spodumene pegmatite at its wholly-owned Agboville and Rubino licences in Côte d’Ivoire.
Rock-chip sampling, following visual observations, across both licences returned lithium grades up to 1.25% Li₂O.
Phase 2 soil sampling at the Rubino licence identified lithium-in-soil anomalies covering a 2.5km by 2.0km area. These anomalies remain open to the northeast.
Chief executive Keith Muller described it as “a momentous occasion”.
"High-grade assay results returned from the rock-chip sampling programme undertaken across both licences confirm visual spodumene observations made during mapping, clearly demonstrating the significant prospectivity of the company's tenure,” Muller said.
“The programmes at Agboville and Rubino extend the company's lithium exploration activities beyond neighbouring Ghana, where the company is advancing its flagship Ewoyaa Lithium Project through the permitting phase to become one of the next globally-significant spodumene mines.
"These encouraging results mark an exciting milestone for Atlantic Lithium's exploration efforts in Côte d'Ivoire, where the company aims to discover Africa's next major lithium deposit.”
Muller highlighted that the primary focus remains firmly on the Ewoyaa project and moving it to a final investment decision; nonetheless, Agboville and Rubino represent an attractive opportunity for value creation through low-cost exploration.
He added: "The company intends to leverage the substantial expertise gained from lithium exploration, discovery and evaluation at Ewoyaa to advance its licences in Côte d'Ivoire, supporting its longer-term spodumene production ambitions in Africa.”