Côte d’Ivoire: Montage Gold invests $13.5 million to accelerate Didiévi gold project exploration

Canadian mining company Montage Gold is investing $13.5 million to accelerate exploration activities at its Didiévi gold project in central Côte d’Ivoire, as the company seeks to expand its portfolio beyond its flagship Koné mine development.

The additional investment, equivalent to about 7.5 billion CFA francs, will finance an extensive drilling campaign aimed at increasing gold resources and advancing the project toward a potential future development phase.

Located near Yamoussoukro, the Didiévi project is emerging as one of Montage Gold’s strategic assets in Côte d’Ivoire. The company considers the project a potential next major mining operation after Koné, its flagship gold project in the northwest of the country.

The exploration program will include around 60,000 metres of additional drilling through 2026, targeting extensions of known mineralized zones and improving geological understanding of the deposit.

At the center of the project is the Blaffo Guetto deposit, which currently hosts an estimated 989,000 ounces of inferred gold resources. Further exploration aims to upgrade resources and assess the full economic potential of the site.

Montage Gold’s move comes as Côte d’Ivoire continues to attract international mining investment as part of its strategy to diversify its economy beyond agriculture and strengthen the contribution of the mining sector to growth.

The country, one of the world’s largest cocoa producers, has been expanding gold production in recent years, with several international companies developing mining projects across the country.

Montage Gold’s Koné project remains the company’s priority development asset, with production expected to begin in the coming years. The company hopes Didiévi could become a second major gold operation, reinforcing Côte d’Ivoire’s position as an emerging mining destination in West Africa.

For the Ivorian government, the growth of the mining industry represents an opportunity to attract foreign investment, create jobs, develop local expertise and increase export revenues.

The expansion of projects such as Didiévi highlights the growing role of gold in Côte d’Ivoire’s economic transformation and its ambition to become a more competitive mining hub in West Africa.