Côte d’Ivoire: The Lifespan of the Séguéla Gold Mine Extended to Nine Years
When it entered production in 2023, the Séguéla gold mine was initially presented as a seven-year operation. Since then, its Canadian owner, Fortuna Mining, has been working to extend the mine’s lifespan by intensifying exploration activities and identifying new gold reserves on site.
In Côte d’Ivoire, the Séguéla mine now hosts 1.54 million ounces of mineable gold reserves, representing a 31% increase compared to a previous estimate published in November 2025. This update, announced on Tuesday, January 20, by Fortuna Mining, extends the mine’s life to more than nine years, compared with the 7.5 years previously indicated.
According to Fortuna, this improvement is the result of successful recent exploration campaigns carried out at Séguéla. The updated mine plan notably incorporates underground mineral reserves from the Sunbird deposit, whose resources had previously been associated only with open-pit operations. Other deposits integrated into the plan include Kingfisher, Ancien, Antenna, Koula, and Badior.
“The life of the Séguéla mine now exceeds nine years at current production rates, with strong growth potential. Leveraging this exploration potential and our track record in growing resources and reserves, we have launched a processing plant expansion study that could increase annual gold production to more than 200,000 ounces,” said Jorge Ganoza, President of Fortuna Mining.
Continued Growth Potential
The new mine plan, based on a lifespan of over nine years, aligns with Fortuna’s broader growth ambitions. The company is currently studying an expansion of the Séguéla operation, including the construction of a new processing plant. This future facility could raise processing capacity to 2.5 million tonnes of ore per year, compared with 1.75 million tonnes per annum currently, potentially lifting annual gold output beyond 200,000 ounces.
This target would significantly exceed the 152,426 ounces of gold produced in 2025. Further extensions of the mine’s life remain possible, as the current estimate is based solely on existing operational capacities. The final impact of the planned processing plant expansion on the mine plan has yet to be determined.
The technical study assessing the expansion options is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2026. Its findings will be critical in evaluating potential changes to Séguéla’s production profile. Additional discoveries from ongoing exploration could further optimize the mine’s growth outlook, including its operational lifespan.
If current momentum is maintained and the expansion plan materializes, Séguéla will remain a strategic asset for Fortuna Mining over the long term, alongside its growth ambitions in Senegal through the Diamba Sud project. This development also supports Côte d’Ivoire’s strategy to steadily increase national gold production, amid persistently rising global gold prices.
It should be recalled that the Ivorian State holds 10% of the Séguéla mine, while Fortuna Mining owns the remaining 90%.
