Modern Mining September 2022

further extensional drilling planned. Currently nine drill rigs are undertaking further resource drilling, grade control and near-deposit exploration across the Bankan project area. “Over the following months and supported by our healthy A$57-million cash balance, we will con tinue to drill the current deposit to convert ounces in the Resource category from Inferred to Indicated, and undertake further resource drilling at Bankan Creek to develop our regional targets, with the goal of finding more NE Bankan-style deposits along our 35 km-long structural corridor,” says Pardey. The company recently raised $55-million pre dominantly from institutional investors through a share placement scheme and will use the cash to complete baseline environmental studies, continue drilling initiatives as well as deliver a comprehensive scoping study to the Government of Guinea, ahead of converting the current exploration license into a Convention de Base, the local term for an exploita tion license. Aligned with its strategy of becoming a gold producer, the company recently made significant changes to its core team to ensure a highly skilled and experienced group ready to take the project up the value chain. “We recently appointed a team with significant experience in developing mines in Africa, including Pierre Louw, Marlyatou Balde, Norman Bailie and Chris Boreham,” says Pardey. CFO Pierre Louw, a senior professional accoun tant with over 35 years diverse hands-on experience, has worked extensively in Africa, including Tanzania, Egypt, Zambia and South Africa, while country manager Marlyatou Balde, a Guinean national, has worked at AngloGold Ashanti, Barrick Gold, BHP Group and, most recently, as technical advisor to the Minister of Mines and Geology in Guinea. Geology manager Norman Bailie has more than 30 years’ experience in gold mining and exploration, having been the group exploration manager for Centamin and head of exploration for Cora Gold. Project fea sibility manager Chris Boreham is a mining engineer with over 30 years’ experience in hard rock mining, underground and open pit mining, both as owner operator and in contract mining. Boreham has been involved in a number of successful feasibility studies across Australia, China and Africa. Advancing environmental studies By the end of 2023, the junior miner expects to have completed its scoping study and upgraded its cur rent licence from exploration to exploitation. The focus for the next 18 months remains on rap idly advancing its environmental studies aimed at identifying critical fauna and flora in its area of opera tion, across both wet and dry seasonal spells. According to Pardey, the Bankan project is situ ated in the outer buffer zone of the Upper Niger

National Park, which places it close to a sensitive environmental area. Following completion of the baseline studies, the company is looking at maximis ing the preservation of the national park through a further delineation of the outer buffer zone. “We are working closely with the government of Guinea to ensure that the Bankan mining area will not impact the environmentally diverse Upper Niger National Park. To ensure that the environmental impact assessments are carried out in the best possi ble manner, we recently appointed Australian lawyer and ESG specialist Sandra Bates and ESG manager Andre Pieters to lead the critical risk programme and community development studies. We have also appointed ESG strategist’s critical resource, and ESG specialist public relations firm Buchanan. For Predictive Discovery, it is imperative that we explore and address all environmental issues so we can carve a path to mine in the area economically and acceptably.” The explorer continues to engage with key gov ernment stakeholder groups to ensure that it aligns with the objectives and expectations of the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, and the National Parks Authority. Mining at Bankan According to Pardey, the Bankan project “offers a straightforward and simple” metallurgy which will allow for a conventional crushing, grinding and leaching process. “The gold processing will be largely focused on an upfront gravity circuit, which is a more cost-effec tive process than relying on the use of reagents,” he says. Although the Bankan project offers the oppor tunity for an open-pit operation, Pardey notes that, given its location 18 kms from the core zone of the Upper Niger National Park, the company will target a smaller surface footprint and in time expand to an underground mining operation. The company currently employs 165 people and will, once the mine is in operation, employ close to 1 000 people. 

Cropped drilling at Bankan.

“We are working closely with the government of Guinea to ensure that the Bankan mining area will not impact the environmentally diverse Upper Niger National Park.”

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