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African Pioneer has launched a significant 7,000-metre drilling programme at its Ongombo and Ongeama copper projects in Namibia. This step marks a new phase in the company’s strategy to expand its mineral resources and move closer to developing these projects into operational mines.
Announced on 16 October 2026, the initial phase of the programme includes approximately 119 drill holes. Currently, one drilling rig is deployed to explore extensions of existing mineralisation and gather essential geological data for future mining strategies. The focus is on expanding the mineral resources around the proposed open-pit mining area at Ongombo and investigating nearby mineralised zones that could enhance the scale of African Pioneer’s copper operations.
The drilling is conducted under a financing and technical services agreement with Hong Kong Xinhai Mining Services Limited, established on 30 July 2026. This agreement outlines further exploration, technical studies, and the potential development of a new copper mining operation that combines Ongombo and Ongeama.
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African Pioneer holds an 85% interest in the Ongombo project, which has a JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate of 29 million tonnes grading 1.1% copper equivalent. The programme aims to explore extensions of the existing resource, potentially supporting three to four years of open-pit mining. Additionally, the company is targeting mineralised areas at Ongeama that could provide supplementary ore, enhancing the combined mining operation.
The drilling will also yield critical data for underground mine design, including geotechnical assessments for determining suitable mining methods and long-term development strategies. An area of focus is the East–Ost mineralised shoots, where previous exploration hinted at substantial copper mineralisation. African Pioneer plans to enhance understanding of the grades, widths, and continuity of these zones, potentially adding to the resources if results are favourable.
Initially, one drilling rig is operational, allowing technical staff to establish systems for managing the expected large volume of drill core. Additional rigs will be brought in as operations advance. Plans are also in place to build an on-site facility for drill core processing, including logging, cutting, and sampling before laboratory testing. This facility will provide secure, long-term storage for geological samples and support technical work for mine planning.
The drilling campaign is anticipated to last several months, with laboratory results following. African Pioneer chairman Colin Bird emphasized the importance of this phase in developing the Ongombo and Ongeama deposits. The project benefits from a mining licence and environmental clearance certificate and is exploring possibilities to increase the open-pit resource for an economically viable operation.
The company may extend the drilling programme by an additional 3,000 metres at Ongeama, depending on initial campaign results, increasing the potential total to 10,000 metres. The immediate focus is completing the drilling, analyzing laboratory results, updating the mineral resource, and refining mining and processing plans.
While the programme signifies progress towards potential production, African Pioneer has not yet set a definitive construction timetable or first copper production date. These will depend on technical work results and the completion of necessary development arrangements.
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