Askari Metals Ltd (ASX:AS2) has announced a significant discovery at its Nejo Gold Project in Ethiopia, revealing high-grade copper mineralisation at the Katta Target. Historical drilling results have demonstrated substantial copper intercepts, highlighting the project's potential as a dual copper and gold exploration asset.
The company’s historical exploration data compilation program revealed the Katta Target, located within the 1,174-square-kilometre Nejo Gold Project, has yielded promising intersections, adding to the growing portfolio of copper and gold resources within the project and setting the stage for modern exploration to fully unlock its value.
Location diagram of the Nejo Gold Project showing the position of the Katta Target within the northern exploration licence, approximately 5km from the town of Nejo.
High-grade copper intersections confirm mineralisation potential
Historic drilling at the Katta Target, a key area within the Nejo Gold Project, has identified substantial copper mineralisation. Key results include:
- 14.33 metres @ 3.2% copper (Cu) at a depth of 25.3 metres (UNDP_03)
- 35.51 metres @ 0.82% Cu from 152.55 metres’ depth (UNDP_04)
Cross section of UNDP_03 and UNDP_04 diamond drillholes within in the Katta 2 Target Area at the Nejo Gold Project, Ethiopia. UNDP_03 and UNDP_04 were drilled in 1972 to test copper and other base mineral potential in the area and to determine the geological environment hosting the different types of mineralisation. Sourced from Kefi Minerals plc, NewGenGold Conference 2017 presentation, Tula Kapi Gold Project: A History of “Repeated” Discoveries in Western Ethiopia.
In addition to these high-grade intersections, historic exploration has uncovered six copper-bearing gossans at the Katta 2 Target. One of these gossans has a strike length of more than 600 metres, remains open along strike and at depth, and is up to 30 metres wide.
Askari is now planning follow-up drilling, leveraging modern techniques to expand upon these initial results.
Exploring untapped mineralisation potential
The Nejo Gold Project, located in the highly prospective Arabian-Nubian Shield, remains largely underexplored despite a rich history of exploration. Prior work by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and other agencies identified high-priority targets, but limited follow-up has prevented the full potential of the project from being realised.
"Validating our acquisition strategy by analysing and digitising the historical exploration data has been our first priority at Nejo,” Askari executive director Gino D’Anna said.
“The copper and base metal mineralisation data from our Katta Target, located on the northern-most licence, includes historical diamond drilling completed by UNDP between 1967 and 1973,” he explained. “Despite these high-grade intercepts across wide thicknesses, there is an absence of systematic exploration, and this is a key opportunity for Askari Metals to unlock the potential of these targets through modern, systematic and focused exploration."
Pathway to maiden JORC resource
The project’s scale and the historical data available make it a promising candidate for a near-term JORC (2012) mineral resource estimate.
Askari is focused on systematically advancing the project with the goal of defining a maiden JORC resource. It has outlined a clear exploration strategy, which includes high-resolution magnetic surveys, trenching, soil sampling, and additional drilling.
“Nejo is a district-scale advanced brownfields gold and copper project and offers everything we look for in a flagship asset — scale, high-grade gold and copper upside, proven mineralisation, and proximity to major gold operations on a globally significant greenstone belt,” D’Anna said.
Map depicting the locality of the Askari Metals' Nejo Gold Project in relation to the major mineral deposits of the Arabian-Nubian Shield.
A growing portfolio in Southern Africa
Alongside the Nejo Gold Project, Askari Metals is progressing its Uis Lithium Project in Namibia and the Matemanga Uranium Project in Tanzania. These assets, located in the heart of Africa’s resource-rich regions, reinforce Askari’s position as a diversified exploration company targeting high-demand minerals.
The company is now preparing to undertake detailed exploration work across several target areas, including Katta, Katta 2, and Katta 2 South. The upcoming exploration program aims to prioritise high-potential drill targets, with systematic follow-up drilling planned across the project area.
“We are excited to unlock the full potential of this project and deliver meaningful exploration milestones in the near term and emerge as a major African gold and copper developer,” D’Anna said.