Cora Gold is preparing a major drilling programme at its flagship Sanankoro gold project in southern Mali, a move that places resource expansion alongside the company’s transition towards construction and first production. Sanankoro is now fully funded to production following financing activities completed in the first half of 2026, allowing management to pursue exploration upside while continuing the mine development pathway.
The planned 2026 campaign will include more than 12,000 metres of reverse circulation and diamond drilling. The work is designed to test both existing deposits and high-priority greenfield targets, with the wider objective of increasing the current JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate of 1.044 million ounces at 1.04 grams of gold per tonne. Cora is also aiming to extend the reserve mine life beyond the 10.2 years outlined in its 2025 definitive feasibility study, which would be relevant to future production planning, project scale and longer-term asset value.
Most of the drilling will focus on areas already known to host mineralisation. Around 40% of the programme is being allocated to Zone B, which currently contains 9 million tonnes at 0.85 grams per tonne for 250,000 ounces. Zone B is a priority because of its more than two-kilometre strike length, excluding the additional 1.7 kilometre Zone B North trend, along with broad mineralised widths, evidence of artisanal activity, limited deeper drilling and the potential to improve continuity in the current resource model.
A further 30% of the programme will be directed towards Selin, which hosts 12 million tonnes at 1.11 grams per tonne for 430,000 ounces. Drilling there will focus mainly on the southern portion of the deposit, where past work has been relatively shallow and widely spaced. The programme will also test a separate western mineralised zone outside current reserve pits but within the broader resource pit shell. Historical drilling in that area included 18 metres at 2.29 grams of gold per tonne, with mineralisation continuing to a depth of 146 metres.
Zones A and C will receive 25% of the planned drilling. At Zone A, the work will aim to improve confidence and continuity within the existing resource model, particularly in the southern part of the deposit where mineralisation remains open. Zone C, which currently hosts an entirely inferred resource of 65,000 ounces, will be targeted with infill drilling intended to support possible future resource classification upgrades and ore reserve conversion.
The remaining 5% of the programme will test greenfield targets, including TRA07, Dakounkoura and Zone B West. These targets are located close to existing deposits and planned infrastructure, which could make any successful results more relevant to future mine planning.
Cora Gold Ltd (LON:CORA), together with its subsidiaries, explores for and develops mineral projects in West Africa. The company primarily explores for gold deposits. Its flagship project is the Sanankoro Gold project located in the Yanfolila Gold Belt, Southern Mali.
