Modern Mining June 2023

GOLD

around 96% of employees at Yanfolila in Mali being nationals. Yanfolila has installed over 65 large-scale water towers, boreholes, and wells to improve local water infrastructure, which is a huge benefit to local communities. The company’s efforts in malaria pre vention are also a key focus area, and include annual spraying campaigns to protect over 11 000 people near its Yanfolila mine. Hummingbird provides edu cation support to the local community, paying eleven teacher salaries and school maintenance at schools near Yanfolila. Other community projects include eight poultry farms and ten market gardens that provide addi tional income support for over 1 000 people. The company also provides training in honey produc tion, shea butter, cashew nut manufacturing, and mechanical traineeships. At Kouroussa, the company is implementing various ESG initiatives, including the installation of a 7+ MW solar plant, and implementing energy effi ciency programmes such as heat recovery units at the Kouroussa plant to reduce GHG emissions. Contractors and construction employees undergo regular training programmes, including on-site health and safety training. Community health care programmes are being rolled out in 2023 in the communities near Kouroussa with global remote healthcare specialist, Critical Care International, which has permanent doctors on site to support Kouroussa’s healthcare team. In total, an impressive 26 community projects and livelihood programmes are scheduled for rollout in 2023. Hummingbird’s work at Kouroussa concentrates on achieving high local and regional employment, particularly as it transitions from the construction to operator phase. Outlook At Yanfolila, the focus is on achieving steady pro duction and contributing positive cash flows for the business as a whole. With a good start to the year, the mine is well on track to meet its targets of produc ing 80 000-90 000 gold ounces in 2023. To achieve these targets, Hummingbird has embedded optimi sation improvement strategies, including enhancing mill grade feed, implementing cost reduction and control programmes, and improving community engagement. In addition, as Kouroussa edges towards its first gold pour, Betts is fired up about the future pros pects and the arrival of the company’s second asset. “The mine will more than double our production profile, reduce the Group’s cost of production, and diversify risk,” he concluded. Underpinned by a strong commitment to explo ration programmes, and adding further sustainable growth to Hummingbird, the company is ideally positioned to maximise returns in a strong gold price environment. It’s hard not be upbeat about that. 

company’s portfolio. FY2023 production guidance for Yanfolila has been set at 80 000 – 90 000 oz, with AISC of under $1 500 per oz. Komana East Underground is scheduled to come online at the end of Q4 2023 and continue opera tions until around Q1 2028, although the orebody remains open at depth and along strike, potentially extending the LOM further, subject to exploration drilling results. Various satellite open pit deposits will also be mined to maintain production at Yanfolila. ESG Hummingbird is committed to promoting ESG prac tices across all its operations. At Yanfolila in Mali the company’s practices in waste management have led to more than 80% of materials being recycled, and management is continuously improving its process water recirculation performance, achieving a 78% performance rate. In addition, the Hummingbird Tree Initiative at Yanfolila has led to the planting of over 8 000 trees annually. These are procured from the local communities, providing them with additional important income support, with plans in place to start a similar initiative at Kouroussa. Health and Safety is also a key focus at Yanfolila, having achieved over 11 400 hours of safety train ing at site and over 2.5m lost time injury-(LTI) free hours at Kouroussa during the construction phase, which remains a core focus for the company in 2023. The company is committed to providing high levels of local and regional employment at its sites, with

A view of the processing plant at Yanfolila mine.

Other community projects include eight poultry farms and ten market gardens that provide additional income support for over 1 000 people. The company also provides training in honey production, shea butter, cashew nut manufacturing, and mechanical traineeships.

Daily and weekly on-site health and safety briefings.

18  MODERN MINING  June 2023