Aurum Resources Ltd (ASX:AUE) has reported a fresh set of broad, shallow, high-grade gold intercepts from step-back diamond drilling at its 0.87Moz Napié Gold Project in Côte d’Ivoire, with results aimed at locking in final data ahead of an updated Mineral Resource Estimate (MRE).
The latest assays come from 26 holes for 8,021.55 metres across the Tchaga and Gogbala deposits and continue to demonstrate open-pittable style mineralisation, with mineralisation remaining open along strike and at depth.
Location of Aurum’s projects in Côte d'Ivoire.
“This latest round of step-back diamond drilling at Napié continues to deliver broad, shallow, open-pitable intercepts, confirming the system's potential for substantial resource growth. These results are a direct testament to our unique operational model; by owning and operating our own fleet of 12 diamond drill rigs, we have rapidly scaled our Group Resource to 3.90Moz gold in just 26 months," Aurum managing director Dr Caigen Wang said.
"Our objective is to build a substantial multi-asset gold business in Côte d'Ivoire. While our near-term focus is the development of our Boundiali Project, the scale and grade continuity we are seeing at Napié — following our acquisition of Mako — suggests that it too has the potential to grow into a second major production pillar. With the Napié MRE update pending, we are targeting a global inventory milestone of >4Moz this quarter. Our aggressive 130,000 metres drilling program is already underway for CY2026, supported by a strong $40.2M balance sheet and a clear development pathway through the Boundiali PFS.
"We will be hosting our CP mining engineer to site this month as the team ensure PFS technical parameters are refined following recent resource growth. Aurum is positioned to advance from explorer to developer throughout this pivotal transition year."
Best intercepts – Gogbala
Highlights included:
- 19.00 metres at 5.16 grams per tonne (g/t) gold from 146.00 metres, including 14.00 metres at 6.76g/t (NADD100)
- 21.00 metres at 2.01g/t gold from 157.00 metres, including 10.00 metres at 3.87g/t (NADD103)
- 6.00 metres at 4.17g/t gold from 42.00 metres, including 1.00 metres at 19.92g/t (NADD095)
Plan view showing new drill results (yellow) for Gogbala.
Best intercepts – Tchaga
Key results included:
- 18.90 metres at 2.59g/t gold from 176.10 metres, including 5.90 metres at 7.33g/t (NADD089)
- 28.00 metres at 1.48g/t gold from 233.00 metres, including 3.00 metres at 4.29g/t (NADD091)
- 20.00 metres at 1.34g/t gold from 183.15 metres, including 6.25 metres at 2.28g/t (NADD088)
Plan view showing new drill results (yellow) for Tchaga.
The Napié results support Aurum's push to grow the resource base toward critical mass for potential standalone processing infrastructure, as the company advances a dual-asset strategy across the Napié and the larger 3.03Moz Boundiali project.
Next steps
Aurum is targeting a Napié resource update in the first quarter of 2026, with the current 30,000m diamond drilling program designed to expand the existing 0.87Moz resource.
At Boundiali, the company is progressing development work with several key milestones ahead, including:
- Delivery of an open-pit pre-feasibility study in April 2026
- A planned 100,000m drilling program during 2026, potentially using up to 12 rigs across the BD, BM and BST areas
- A further resource update targeted for the third quarter of 2026, followed by a definitive feasibility study later in 2026
In parallel, Aurum plans scout drilling and early-stage exploration across regional targets and joint venture ground to expand its pipeline of potential discoveries.