PRECIOUS METALS

All tracking well for gold miner West African

UNHEDGED gold producer West African Resources says any future hedging undertaken will be “discretionary” rather than “mandatory” as the company gets set this quarter to announce a syndicate of debt financiers providing US$250-300 million for the development of the long life, low cost 200,000 ounce per annum Kiaka project in Burkina Faso.

Sanbrado, Burkina Faso

Sanbrado, Burkina Faso

At the current gold price, the upcoming finance plus the cashflow from the Sanbrado operation plus established cash reserves will ensure no equity raising is required.

Kiaka is set to see WAF become a plus-400,000ozpa producer at bottom quartile all-in sustaining costs from mid-decade.

Sanbrado yielded 56,307oz in the March quarter (up 13% on the December quarter) at AISC of US$1172/oz (down 10% on December quarter), with the company having cash and bullion of A$192 million at March 30.

Meanwhile, WAF has been reassured to see the Burkina Faso government "on the front foot" against terrorists in the north and east of the country and also happy to not see the Russian mercenary group Wagner entering the fray following the recent exit of the French.

In addition, executive chairman Richard Hyde said WAF wasn't seeing inflationary pressures on the Kiaka build, with the apparent peak for steel and oil prices being endured last year and West Africa/Africa traditionally not having the labour pressures often felt in other mining jurisdictions like Western Australia.

Shares in WAF were at 98c this week, capitalising the gold miner at $1 billion.       

 

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