By: OrePulse

Okopa plc said it had reached three framework agreements — one each for technical services and copper supply, and a third covering mineral beneficiation — as it began fieldwork for a planned drilling program at its copper project in northwestern Namibia.

The agreements and initial work marked a step toward near-term, small-scale copper production at the Cornerstone project in the Kaoko Copper Belt, in Namibia's Kunene Region. Okopa held a 51 percent interest in Cornerstone Mining, having acquired the majority stake in September 2026. Swatech Mineral Processors held the remaining 49 percent.

The company said regional structural mapping across the three licenses — Exclusive Prospecting Licenses 4305, 10499 and 10767, which together spanned 6,214 hectares — had been completed.

A forthcoming program of roughly 14 shallow diamond drill holes, together with independent mineral-sorting tests, was intended to delineate near-surface oxide copper mineralization. Okopa expected both the drilling and the sorting assessment to be completed by the end of March 2027. The work followed earlier bulk sampling of about 15,000 tonnes of material carried out by Cornerstone before Okopa took its majority stake.

In the near term, Okopa was working with local mining-claim holders to assess, and potentially expand, small-scale oxide copper production on the licenses. Under the new framework agreements, Lamal Partners and Swatech Mineral Processors would provide supporting services on a cost-only basis, while a separate agreement covered copper supply arrangements.

Looking further ahead, the company planned a phased exploration program aimed at deeper sulfide copper mineralization on the same licenses. That stage was expected to include additional structural mapping along with geochemical and geophysical surveys, followed by drilling intended to support an internationally compliant mineral resource estimate.

Okopa Chief Executive Russell Lamming said: "We have made a strong start following the recent Cornerstone acquisition, with a clear strategy to pursue near-term oxide copper production through our relationships with local Mining Claim partners, while systematically evaluating the wider potential of our licences for both shallow oxide and deeper sulphide deposits."

Okopa said the strategy was being supported by a recent fundraising of 1.8 million pounds, together with income from its existing interests. The company had not announced a production start date or projected output figures; the end-of-March 2027 target covered only completion of the drilling and mineral-sorting test program, not a decision to proceed to production.

The Cornerstone licenses sat within the Kaoko Copper Belt, an area of northwestern Namibia where Okopa had been expanding its footprint since the September 2026 acquisition. The company had not disclosed which of the three licenses would host the initial drill holes, nor the financial terms of the three framework agreements.

Okopa's near-term and longer-term work streams targeted two distinct styles of mineralization on the same ground: shallower oxide copper close to the surface, which the company was assessing for small-scale production with local partners, and deeper primary sulfide copper, which would require further surveying and drilling before any resource could be defined.