By: Ecofin agency

Perseus Mining announced on Friday the appointment of Wade Bickley as chief operating officer, bringing in a mining executive with extensive African operations experience to its leadership team. Bickley will officially take up the role on June 1 and will help lead the next phase of expansion for the Australian gold producer, which operates three gold mines across Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.

Bickley joins Perseus from Appian Capital Base Metals, where he also served as chief operating officer. The company said his experience in African mining includes managing AngloGold Ashanti's Obuasi gold mine in Ghana, as well as overseeing projects for Cupric Canyon Capital in Botswana and Valterra Platinum, formerly Anglo American Platinum, in South Africa.

"We are delighted to welcome Wade to Perseus, further strengthening our leadership team," Chief Executive Craig Jones said. "Wade will drive our African operations at this critical time as we ramp up underground mining at Yaouré and bring Nyanzaga into production, one of the most significant gold projects in Africa."

Following total gold production of 431,684 ounces in 2025, Perseus Mining is targeting annual output of between 515,000 and 535,000 ounces from 2026 through 2030. To achieve that goal, the company is advancing the transition of its Yaouré mine in Côte d'Ivoire to underground operations, alongside its other in-country asset, Sissingué.

Nyanzaga, the Tanzanian project, is expected to enter production by 2027, while investment continues to optimize the Edikan mine in Ghana.

Bickley takes up the role as Perseus advances several expansion projects across West and East Africa. Gold exports remain an important source of foreign exchange for Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana and Tanzania.