50KM UNEXPLORED GREENSTONE BELT IN WA + 0.5M OZ OF GOLD IN WEST AFRICA
Sarama has signed a Non-Binding MOU1 to acquire the Cosmo Newbery Project, highlights include:
Material additional value includes:
COSMO NEWBERY PROJECT LOCATION
LOOKING FOR GOLD IN AN AREA SURROUNDED BY GOLD
LARGE AND PROSPECTIVE SYSTEM WITH MULTIPLE TARGETS TO BE TESTED
This article includes content from Sarama Resources, licensed for the purpose of publishing on Investing News Australia. This article does not constitute financial product advice. It is your responsibility to perform proper due diligence before acting upon any information provided here. Please refer to our full disclaimer here.
Sarama Resources offers a compelling investment opportunity fueled by a multi-million dollar, fully-funded arbitration claim and two new gold projects encompassing 1,000 sq km of the Cosmo Newbery and Mt Venn Greenstone Belts in Western Australia’s Eastern Goldfields.
Sarama Resources (TSXV:SWA,ASX:SRR) is a gold-focused Australian mineral exploration and development company. Sarama has two core components to its business, one being a significant and fully funded arbitration claim, and the other being two highly prospective gold projects totaling 1,000 sq km in area in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia. Individually, each component significantly derisks the company and together they present significant value and upside optionality for investors.
Sarama recently acquired the Cosmo and the Mt Venn gold projects which cover 580 sq km and 420 sq km, respectively, and encompass most of the greenstone belts in which they are situated. These greenstone belts are located in the Eastern Goldfields of Western Australia, and both have historical gold workings and strong geological and structural similarities to the adjacent Dorothy Hills greenstone belt which hosts the +8 Moz Gruyere gold deposit.
The Cosmo and Mt Venn gold projects offer a unique and promising opportunity for exploration in a region known for its prolific gold endowment.
The company is also pursuing a significant arbitration claim which is fully funded through a non-recourse loan facility. Boies Schiller Flexner who have an excellent track record of securing large settlements has been appointed to assist with the claim. The damages being sought are not less than cAU$200 million plus interest, and have the potential to be significantly more.
Sarama is led by an experienced board and management team with more than 30 years of individual experience and a proven track record of discovery and development of large-scale gold deposits including the +25 Moz world-class Kibali Gold Mine (formerly Moto Gold), and the +3 million ounce Sanutura gold project.
The Cosmo Gold project is an underexplored, belt-scale gold asset in Western Australia's Eastern Goldfields. The project spans 580 sq km covering the entirety of the Cosmo-Newbery Greenstone Belt, a large and prospective system with gold first being discovered in the area in the 1890s and where rock chip sampling has returned grades up to 52 g/t gold. Cosmo Gold comprises seven contiguous exploration tenements and is located approximately 85 km northeast of Laverton in a region known for its prolific gold endowment.
The Mt Venn Gold project has many similarities to the nearby Cosmo gold project and the company views it as an underexplored, belt-scale gold asset. The project spans 420 sq km and covers a large portion of the Mt Venn Greenstone Belt, a large and prospective system with gold first being discovered in the area in the 1890s. Limited drilling has returned multiple intersections of merit, and the project has a 35km long gold corridor marked by semi-contiguous gold-in-soil anomalism, old workings and drill intercepts. Mt Venn comprises three contiguous exploration tenements and is located approximately 35 km west of Gold Road’s 8 Moz, +300,000 oz/yr Gruyere gold mine and 40 km east of the company’s Cosmo gold project.
Project Highlights
Andrew Dinning is a founder, managing director and CEO of Sarama Resources. Dinning is committed to development in Africa and recently retired as a board member of The Australia-Africa Minerals and Energy Group (AAMEG) after eight years of service. AAMEG is a peak body representing Australian companies engaged in the development of Africa's resource industry.
Dinning has over 35 years of experience in the international mining arena and has worked in the Democratic Republic of Congo, West Africa, the UK, Russia and Australia. He has extensive mine management, operations and capital markets experience and has spent most of his career in the gold sector. Dinning was a director and president of the Democratic Republic of Congo-based Moto Goldmines Ltd from 2005 to 2009. He oversaw the development of the company's Moto Gold Project (Kibali Gold) from two million to more than 22 million ounces of gold. Dinning took the project from exploration to pre-development. The Moto Gold project was later taken over by Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti for $600 million in October 2009. Dinning has an MBA, a first-class mine managers certificate in Western Australia and South Australia and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mining degree.
Jack Hamilton is a founder and the vice president of exploration at Sarama Resources. Hamilton has 35 years of experience as a professional geologist. Hamilton has worked around the world for international resource companies. Before Sarama, he was the exploration manager for Moto Goldmines. in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At Moto Goldmines, he led the team that discovered the main deposits and resource at the world-class Moto Gold Project (now Kibali Gold) which has a resource of more than 22 million ounces.
Hamilton specializes in precious metal exploration in Birimian, Archean and Proterozoic greenstone belts. He has worked and consulted in West, Central and East Africa for the past 20 years with various companies, including Barrick Gold Corporation, Echo Bay Mines, Etruscan Resources Inc, Anglo American, Geo Services International and Moto Goldmines. Whilst at Moto Goldmines, he led the exploration team that took the Moto gold deposit from discovery to bankable feasibility. The Moto gold deposit was later sold to Randgold Resources and AngloGold Ashanti in October 2009.
Paul Schmiede is a major shareholder and the vice president of corporate development at Sarama Resources. He is a mining engineer with over 25 years of experience in mining and exploration. Before joining Sarama Resources in 2010, Schmiede was vice president of operations and project development at Moto Goldmines. At Moto Goldmine, he managed the pre-feasibility, bankable and definitive feasibility study for the more than 22 million-ounce Democratic Republic of Congo-based Moto Gold Project (now Kibali Gold). Whilst at Moto Goldmines, he also managed the in-country environment, community studies and pre-construction activities. Before joining Moto Goldmines, he held senior operational and management positions with Gold Fields and WMC Resources. At these companies, Schmiede was responsible for underground and open-pit operations as well as project development and planning.
Schmiede holds a first-class mine managers certificate in Western Australia and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mining degree. He is also a fellow of the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy.
Lui Evangelista is Sarama's chief financial officer with 35 years of experience in accounting, finance and corporate governance with public companies. He has more than 20 years of experience in the mining industry –– 10 years of which have been at the operational and corporate level with companies operating in Francophone Africa.
Evangelista held the positions of group financial controller and acting CFO at Anvil Mining. which operated 3 mines in the DRC. He was an integral part of the senior management team that saw Anvil's market capitalization grow from C$100 million in 2005 to C$1.3 billion upon takeover by Minmetals in 2012.
Evangelista holds a Bachelor of Business in Accounting degree, a graduate diploma in business administration and a graduate diploma in applied corporate governance.
Simon Jackson is a founder, shareholder and non-executive chairman of Sarama Resources. Simon is a Chartered Accountant with over 25 years of experience in the mining sector. He is the chairman of Predictive Discovery and non-executive director of African gold producer Resolute Mining. He has previously held senior management positions at Red Back Mining, Orca Gold and Beadell Resources.
Jackson specializes in M&A, public equity markets management and corporate finance. His career has included corporate transactions in Canada, Australia, Africa and Indonesia. He holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Western Australia and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia.
Adrian Byass has more than 25 years of experience in the mining industry. He has focused his career on the economic development of mineral resources. He is skilled in economic and resource geology. Byass has experience ranging from production in gold and nickel mines to the evaluation and development of mining projects with listed and unlisted entities in several countries. He has also held several executive and non-executive board roles on both ASX and AIM-listed companies.
Byass presently operates in a corporate and market-focused capacity on a national and international basis. He has board-level experience in mine development, capital raising and M&A in Australia and on overseas stock exchanges. Byass has played key roles in a range of exploration and mining projects in Australia, Africa, North America and Europe. These projects were based on a suite of commodities including gold, base and specialty metals.
Byass holds a Bachelor of Science in Geology and a Bachelor of Economics. Byass is a member of the Australian Institute of Geoscientists, a fellow of the Society of Economic Geology and a competent person for the reporting of mineral resources (JORC 2012).
Byass is currently on the board of multiple ASX-listed companies, including Galena Mining, Kaiser Reef, Kingwest Resources and Infinity Lithium.
Michael Bohm is a seasoned director and mining engineer in the resources industry. His career spans roles as a mining engineer, mine manager, study manager, project manager, project director, and managing director.
He has been directly involved in the development of multiple mines in the gold, nickel, and diamond industries, and made significant contributions to Ramelius Resources during its formative years. This experience is particularly important as Sarama is currently in the process of rebuilding its operations in the Eastern Goldfields region of Western Australia.
He is a current director of ASX-listed Riedel Resources and has previously been a director of ASX listed Perseus Mining, Ramelius Resources, Mincor Resources NL and Cygnus Metals.
Promising new gold projects in Western Australia, plus a large fully funded arbitration claim.
All amounts expressed in US dollars
Barrick Gold Corporation (NYSE:GOLD)(TSX:ABX) confirms that it has continued to engage in good faith with the Government of Mali to finalise an agreement that was fully negotiated and accepted by the Ministry of Finance in February 2025.
From the outset of its engagement, Barrick has worked to find a constructive solution. In October 2024, it agreed to a framework aimed at achieving a comprehensive resolution of all outstanding disputes and paid $85 million as part of the ongoing negotiations.
Despite this, the Government subsequently took a series of escalatory actions, including the arrest of Barrick employees – who remain unfairly in detention – and the suspension of gold shipments.
More recently, although Barrick signed the agreement presented by the Government as requested in February, the Government has failed to execute it. Its conclusion now appears to be obstructed by a small group of individuals placing personal or political interests above the long-term interests of Mali and its people.
This week, departments within the Government escalated matters by closing Barrick's Bamako office and threatening to place the Loulo-Gounkoto mine under provisional administration unless the mine was reopened and tax payments were made – even though gold exports remain blocked.
It is regrettable that the Government continues to obstruct gold exports while simultaneously demanding tax payments on revenue it has actively prevented from being realised.
Barrick remains ready to honour the agreement envisioned by both partners and stands prepared to immediately restart production. This would unlock substantial revenue for the country, including tax and royalty flows that form a very significant part of the national budget. This would also see the dropping of unfounded criminal charges against its employees and their release from detention.
The consequences of the Government's continued inaction are serious both from an economic and human angle. The long-term viability of one of Mali's most strategic mining assets and a key contributor to the national economy is at risk. Barrick brings the unique expertise required to successfully operate this world-class mine. In addition, four innocent Malian citizens continue to be deprived of their freedom, without any justification nor prospect for a quick solution.
Barrick has long been a committed partner to the people of Mali and a reliable corporate citizen, consistently supporting local content and economic development, even in times of uncertainty. As private banks face mounting pressure to keep the country afloat, Barrick has continued to meet its obligations in good faith, paying wages, sustaining workers and contractors' livelihoods as well as the broader supply chain. However, this situation is not sustainable for the longer term.
While Barrick continues to seek a constructive solution, it remains prepared to pursue international arbitration and legal remedies against the Government and any individuals or entities, acting in bad faith.
Barrick urges the Government of Mali to act now in the interest of its people and the national economy by concluding the agreement which stands ready to be implemented.
Enquiries:
Investor and Media Relations
Kathy du Plessis
+44 20 7557 7738
Email: barrick@dpapr.com
Website: www.barrick.com
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Information
Certain information contained or incorporated by reference in this press release, including any information as to our strategy, projects, plans, or future financial or operating performance, constitutes "forward-looking statements". All statements, other than statements of historical fact, are forward-looking statements. The words "continue", "intended", "committed", "engage", "negotiate", "pursue" and similar expressions identify forward-looking statements. In particular, this press release contains forward-looking statements including, without limitation, with respect to: the status of the gold stock removed from site; the outcome of dispute resolution through arbitration; the status of negotiations with the Government of Mali in respect of ongoing disputes regarding the Loulo-Gounkoto Complex and Barrick's commitment to reach a mutually acceptable solution; the potential to increase the Government of Mali's share in the economic benefits of Loulo-Gounkoto; and Loulo-Gounkoto's partnership with the Government of Mali.
Forward-looking statements are necessarily based upon a number of estimates and assumptions including material estimates and assumptions related to the factors set forth below that, while considered reasonable by the Company as at the date of this press release in light of management's experience and perception of current conditions and expected developments, are inherently subject to significant business, economic, and competitive uncertainties and contingencies. Known and unknown factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements, and undue reliance should not be placed on such statements and information. Such factors include, but are not limited to: changes in national and local government legislation, taxation, controls or regulations and/ or changes in the administration of laws, policies and practices; expropriation or nationalization of property and political or economic developments in Mali and other jurisdictions in which the Company or its affiliates do or may carry on business in the future; fluctuations in the spot and forward price of gold, copper, or certain other commodities (such as diesel fuel, natural gas, and electricity); the speculative nature of mineral exploration and development; changes in mineral production performance, exploitation, and exploration successes; risks related to disruption of supply routes which may cause delays in construction and mining activities, including disruptions in the supply of key mining inputs due to the invasion of Ukraine by Russia and conflicts in the Middle East; risk of loss due to acts of war, terrorism, sabotage and civil disturbances; risks associated with new diseases, epidemics and pandemics; litigation and legal and administrative proceedings; employee relations including loss of key employees; increased costs and physical and transition risks related to climate change, including extreme weather events, resource shortages, emerging policies and increased regulations related to greenhouse gas emission levels, energy efficiency and reporting of risks; and availability and increased costs associated with mining inputs and labor. In addition, there are risks and hazards associated with the business of mineral exploration, development and mining, including environmental hazards, industrial accidents, unusual or unexpected formations, pressures, cave-ins, flooding and gold bullion, copper cathode or gold or copper concentrate losses (and the risk of inadequate insurance, or inability to obtain insurance, to cover these risks).
Many of these uncertainties and contingencies can affect our actual results and could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements made by, or on behalf of, us. Readers are cautioned that forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance. All of the forward-looking statements made in this press release are qualified by these cautionary statements. Specific reference is made to the most recent Form 40-F/Annual Information Form on file with the SEC and Canadian provincial securities regulatory authorities for a more detailed discussion of some of the factors underlying forward-looking statements and the risks that may affect Barrick's ability to achieve the expectations set forth in the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.
Barrick disclaims any intention or obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
News Provided by GlobeNewswire via QuoteMedia
