By: Ecofin Agency

About three months after adding the Didiévi gold project to its portfolio, Canada's Montage Gold is already accelerating plans to turn it into its second producing mine in Côte d'Ivoire.

On July 14, the company announced a new $13.5 million exploration campaign aimed at expanding the project's current mineral resource estimate of 989,000 ounces.

Didiévi joined Montage's portfolio in the second quarter of 2025 following its $170 million acquisition of Australian junior African Gold, a deal completed in April. The new drilling program follows an initial exploration campaign launched earlier in 2025. The company plans to update the project's mineral resource estimate, including an expansion of the Blaffo Guetto deposit, currently the only defined deposit at Didiévi.

The campaign includes 60,000 meters of drilling and will also target other promising prospects, including Pranoi and Pokou. Exploration is expected to conclude by the end of the year.

The next step after Koné

The investment reflects Montage Gold's broader strategy to expand its footprint in Côte d'Ivoire. The company is already developing the Koné gold project, where first production is expected in the fourth quarter of 2026. Backed by a $712 million investment, the mine is projected to produce about 300,000 ounces of gold annually, making it one of the country's largest gold operations.

Within that strategy, Didiévi is already being positioned as the company's next development project.

“With the build of our Koné project tracking on-budget and ahead of schedule for a first gold pour in late-2026, we are pleased to be also rapidly advancing our Didievi project which is also located in Côte d’Ivoire. Today’s published high-grade drill results continue to confirm the prospectivity of the Didievi project and its potential to quickly grow,” CEO Martino De Ciccio said.

The company has also begun environmental and social impact studies, a required step before applying for a mining permit. Even so, bringing Didiévi into production will require several additional milestones.

A larger mineral resource alone will not be enough to justify building a mine. Montage will likely need further exploration to convert part of those resources into mineral reserves, which are necessary to demonstrate the project's economic viability. The company will also have to complete technical studies, secure regulatory approvals, and arrange financing before construction can begin.

For Côte d'Ivoire, the project's progress supports the country's ambition to expand its gold industry. After increasing gold production to 59.33 metric tons in 2025, the government is targeting annual output of 100 metric tons by 2030. Alongside projects being developed by Endeavour Mining and Resolute Mining at Assafou and Doropo, respectively, Montage's projects could help achieve that goal while generating additional mining revenue, jobs, investment, and economic benefits for local communities.