Hummingbird Resources PLC (LON:HUM) finished up 2017 with around US$40mln in cash and gold flowing from the furnaces at the new Yanfolila mine in Mali.
Hummingbird poured its first gold in the second half of December, following a build and commissioning process that was completed on time and on budget.
READ: On time and on budget, Hummingbird Resources delivers gold pour; production gets into full swing in 2018
The plan now is to produce 130,000 ounces in the first full year of production, following ramp up, with production expected to average at around 107,000 ounces per year over the life of the mine.
The Malian President, Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, will officially open the Yanfolila gold mine on 14 February 2018.
Separately, the company has also launched its own bespoke Yanfolila coins, and plans to deliver on first sales of these by the end of the first half of this year.