AMN - BURKINA FASO: First gold poured at Boungou

SEMAFO Inc has completed its first gold pour at the Boungou Mine in Burkina Faso, slightly ahead of the original schedule. The first pour yielded about 325 ounces of gold and commercial production is expected next month.

Dry and wet commissioning of the Boungou processing plant are now complete, as is its construction. The vertimill and SAG mill are working according to design and have achieved the designed hourly throughput and grind size.

SEMAFO’s president and CEO Benoit Desormeaux said: "The first gold pour at Boungou marks an important milestone in SEMAFO's growth trajectory as it signals the beginning of a significant increase in production and cash flow.

"This achievement reflects a true team effort that involved the hard work and commitment of our in-house construction team and external contractors, combined with the strong support of our local communities.

“This major milestone was achieved while maintaining an exceptional safety record of 5.5 million hours without lost-time injury."

At the end of May 2018, 17.2 million of the projected 18 million tonnes of pre-strip had been completed at Boungou and about 172,000 tonnes of ore had been stockpiled for future processing, in line with the company’s expectations.

SEMAFO is a Canadian-based mining company with gold production and exploration activities in West Africa.

The corporation operates the Mana Mine in Burkina Faso, which includes the high-grade satellite deposit of Siou, and is targeting production start-up of the Boungou mine.

SEMAFO's strategic focus is to maximise shareholder value by effectively managing its existing assets as well as pursuing organic and strategic growth opportunities.

www.semafo.com