Oriole Resources plc (LON:ORR) Chief Executive Officer Martin Rosser caught up with DirectorsTalk to discuss high-grade gold results at Niambaram, similarities with the Mbe deposit, the wider potential of the Eastern Central Licence Package and key exploration milestones for the remainder of 2026.
Q1: Now you’ve announced an update on the Central Licence Package in Cameroon, with the Eastern CLP being contiguous with your 50%-owned Mbe licence. The headline result at Niambaram is 28.4 grams per tonne gold but perhaps more importantly, you say the geology and the mineralisation have similarities to Mbe. How significant is that comparison? Does this increase your confidence that the wider Eastern CLP could host additional Mbe-style gold systems?
A1: It’s very significant given the geology and the mineralisation similarities. As such, we maintain our high confidence that the wider Eastern CLP could host additional Mbe-style gold deposits. It is most unlikely that Mbe sits in isolation given the evidence that we’ve got to date.
Q2: Mbe has 1.6 million ounces Inferred Resource. You’ve seen encouraging indications at Niambaram and previously reported grades of up to 17 grams per tonne at Ndom. How should investors think about the Eastern CLP today as a collection of mineral prospects, or increasingly more as a much larger gold district?
A2: Well, the results are strongly supportive of our belief that the Eastern Central Licence Package encompasses a new and important gold district, both for Cameroon and in the international context. So we’re very excited by that.
Q3: You’re also introducing detectORE™ technology for your field-based analysis and also plan to use geology-specific AI targeting across the Eastern CLP. What differences could those technologies make to the speed and cost of identifying the next generation of drill targets?
A3: There are significant cost and time benefits from these new technologies. They’re very important, especially for a company of Oriole Resources’ size, where we will always focus on exploration efficiency, getting the best bang for our buck, if you like, and where most definitely time saved is money saved in terms of identifying those areas of best interest and being able to narrow in and focus on those as quickly as possible.
Q4: Just looking across the wider Oriole portfolio, there’s potentially a busy period ahead with further Eastern CLP results and fieldwork, progress on Bibemi’s exploitation licence, Wapouzé results and new work at Senala. What are the principal milestones that investors should be looking out for over the remainder of 2026?
A4: As you’ve just highlighted, there’s a lot going on and most definitely news about the Bibemi exploitation licence is eagerly awaited.
As this announcement today highlights, we will have more Central Licence Package exploration results. Most recently, we gave a significant update on the Wapouzé Limestone Project, and so we’re looking to be able to deliver the maiden mineral resource estimate for that project.
There will also be news on next-stage important exploration work at Mbe and the $2 million exploration programme at Senala in Senegal.
For viewers, check out the deal announced yesterday by IAMGOLD regarding the along strike from Senala Bambadji project in Senegal, where IAMGOLD announced it had sold its indirect 35% project interest to Fortuna Mining Corp. as part of a transaction that generated approximately $70 million in gross cash proceeds to IAMGOLD.
So, that’s indicative of what a hot district we’re in in Senegal and absolutely supports our conviction that Senala is a great project.
