By: Creamer Media

Hamak CEO and executive director Karl Smithson says the latest batch of drill assay results from Akoko South reflect the same encouraging pattern of near-surface oxide gold mineralisation that the company drilled at Akoko North.

However, he notes that the company has now also intersected a high-grade sulphide zone at 6.46 g/t gold over 4 m, including a high-grade zone 20 g/t gold over 1 m, indicating the potential for a deeper primary gold system at Akoko.

"The remaining drilling at Akoko South is scheduled to complete following the end of the seasonal rains. In the meantime, we now have sufficient drilling results to complete the independent mineral resource estimate (MRE) for Akoko."

Drilling recently started on the Akoko South prospect, about 13 km south of the Akoko North prospect. Six holes for 234 m has been drilled in the northern area of the Akoko South licence thus far. 

However, owing to very heavy rains, Hamak explains, access to the remaining holes at Akoko South has become increasingly difficult and, as a result, the company, on the advice of the drill contractor, has agreed to pause the drilling programme for safety reasons until drier conditions prevail.

The company says it considers itself to have sufficient drilling results from its 46 holes for 2 514 m and, including confirmation of historical drilling, to enable a robust independent MRE to be prepared, which will be published in due course.

Additionally, Hamak says assays have been received for a further six holes for 234 m of RC drilling at the Akoko South prospect.

Near-surface gold mineralised zones have been intersected, with hole 2026-061 returning 4 m at 6.46 g/t gold from 32 m, including a higher-grade intersection of 20.03 g/t gold at 33 m. 

The company says these high-grade intersections were from a shallow zone of sulphide material, suggesting that there is high potential for deeper sources of gold mineralisation below the shallower oxide level into the sulphides.

Other shallow oxide intersections include 28 m at 0.66 g/t gold from surface (2026-062), 11 m at 0.73 g/t gold from surface (2026-063A) and 17 m at 0.51 g/t gold from surface (2026-063B).

Hamak says these results complement the historical drilling just to the south which included 43 m at 1.4 g/t gold, 15 m at 8.82 g/t gold, 61 m at 1.03 g/t gold, 15 m at 1.1 g/t gold, 8 m at 1.26 g/t gold and 7 m at 8.99 g/t gold.

The company says these combined results further demonstrate the propensity of wide intersections of gold mineralisation from surface, as well as suggesting the deeper gold potential in the sulphide mineralisation.