MetalsGrove Mining has completed the acquisition of three gold joint venture (JV) permits, the Vavoua, Vavoua West and Kounahiri West projects, collectively known as the Central West Gold JV, in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa.
The acquisition was announced on 31 March 2023, and a binding term sheet for the acquisition was signed in April 2025.
The acquisition includes permits strategically located between 60km and 140km northeast of the operational 3.8 million ounces (moz) Abujar gold mine.
The three permits encompass a total area of approximately 950km², situated within the Birimian greenstone belt. The area has over 50km of highly prospective Abujar fault/shear structures, which are key to the region’s gold prospectivity.
The permits lie along the same structural trend as the Abujar gold mine.
The Vavoua permit has already received approval from the Interministerial Committee and is expected to be officially granted shortly.
MetalsGrove managing director and CEO Lijun Yang said: “Supported by a favourable geological setting, encouraging anomalous gold results from adjacent projects, and robust structural data from aeromagnetic surveys, we believe the region holds strong potential for significant gold discoveries. Subject to final permitting, we are poised to launch our initial exploration program without delay.”
Further enhancing the prospectivity of the acquired permits are the results from neighbouring areas, where highly anomalous auger and soil lag sampling have indicated the likelihood of gold mineralisation extending into the acquired areas.
The presence of artisanal mining activities within the permit area is a testament to the potential for near-surface gold mineralisation.
