Montage Gold (TSX:MAU) expects to achieve the first gold pour in late Q4 2026, from its Koné Project in Côte d’Ivoire, following more than 7.2 million hours of work being conducted.
The maiden gold pour will be delivered through an oxide circuit startup, while the hard-rock comminution circuit remains on track for completion in Q2 2027.
CEO Martino De Ciccio says construction at Koné continues to progress at a rapid pace with numerous key milestones achieved including completion of the oxide sizer and delivery of the ball mill shell onsite.
“We are very pleased with the momentum generated thus far to advance our strategy of creating a premier multi-asset African gold producer,” De Ciccio says.
“Moreover, we are continuing to enjoy significant exploration success at the Koné Project given the discovery of higher grade satellites, notably the Petit Yao discovery announced late last year.”
Based on drilling conducted in 2025, Montage Gold anticipates to publish a resource estimate update this quarter for several satellite targets, as well as for the Koné and Gbongogo Main deposits.
The company also recently launched an initial C$16 million ($17.5 million) drilling program for this year. The program comprises 90,000m of drilling at Koné and 9,000m of drilling at the Wendé advanced greenfield property.
Montage Gold is focused on three parallel tracks, including infill and extension drilling of previously delineated starter deposits, advancing pre-resource targets towards a maiden resource definition, and testing new targets.
De Ciccio adds that the company is consolidating a project pipeline through the acquisition of African Gold, where recently published drill results confirm the prospectivity of the Diedievi Project in Côte d’Ivoire.
Montage Gold is a mineral explorer and developer focused on building the Koné Project which ranks as one of the largest projects in construction worldwide given its more than 300,000 ounces per annum production profile and long mine life.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Montage Gold
