Randgold Resources has resumed normal operation at its Tongon gold mine after a protracted illegal strike, and the company expects to achieve its revised 2018 production target of 230 000 oz, Randgold CEO Mark Bristow has indicated.
The mine has also resumed dividend payments and recently recorded five-million working hours without a lost time injury.
Speaking to local media, Bristow said the end of the strike was achieved in partnership with Randgold’s in-country stakeholders, notably the government and local authorities but also the company’s contractors and the community.
“The experience has reinforced not only this partnership but also Randgold’s long-term commitment to Côte d’Ivoire and we are continuing to build our exploration portfolio in the country. At the same time, we continue to hunt for near-mine replacement ounces to extend Tongon’s life,” he said.
Bristow said exploration had extended the strikes at the advanced Djinni and Mercator targets and delineated continuous mineralisation and alteration along the Badenou corridor between the two targets which were within trucking distance of the mine.
The latest results highlight the prospectivity of the Badenou Trend, and of Côte d’Ivoire, in general.
At the Fonondara target, an infill drilling programme to increase resolution in the high-grade zones in the main target is under way, while 12 strong new targets have been generated along the 45 km Fonondara structure.
A similar target generation exercise has been completed at Mankono where new soil geochemistry results have also identified a 6.5 km long +50 parts per billion soil anomaly at Bafretou.
Bristow noted that the government’s recent elevation of its mining portfolio to full ministry status was an encouraging sign of the growing importance it attached to this industry.