Australian company Haranga Resources has confirmed its strategic interest in Senegal's gold potential by announcing that it will continue exploration work on the Ibel South project in the south-east of the country. After a year marked by a sustained drilling campaign and promising results in 2025, the company plans to launch phase 3 of its drilling programme in the first quarter of 2026, with the aim of further evaluating the identified gold system.
According to a press release published on 12 January, Haranga Resources completed more than 5,000 metres of air core drilling during 2025 as part of phases 1 and 2 of its exploration programme. This work confirmed the presence of a continuous gold system over a length of more than 800 metres, with gold intercepts ranging from 0.43 grams per tonne to 1.40 grams per tonne during phase 2. These results reinforce the geological credibility of the project and, in the opinion of management, justify further investigation.
Haranga Resources CEO Peter Batten points out that several drill holes completed during the first two phases intersected mineralised zones, indicating that the gold system remains open at depth. This geological configuration suggests significant extension potential and motivates the company to undertake deeper drilling to fully appreciate its extent and continuity.
At this stage, Haranga Resources has not provided a specific timeline for a potential deposit discovery, as evidenced by an initial mineral resource estimate. Nevertheless, the progress of exploration work is gradually bringing the company closer to this key objective, which would be a decisive step in the development of the Ibel South project and for future strategic decision-making.
Financially, the company has not disclosed the amounts invested in drilling campaigns already completed, nor those that will be mobilised for phase 3. However, last October, Haranga Resources raised AUD 14 million, or approximately USD 9.4 million, to support the development of all its projects, including the Ibel South project in Senegal.
This announcement comes amid a broader context of growth in Senegal's gold sector. The country's subsoil is attracting growing interest from international mining companies, drawn by a favourable geological environment and an increasingly structured investment climate. In 2025, the Moroccan group Managem began production at the Boto mine, its first in Senegal, making it the country's third industrial gold mine after Sabodala-Massawa and Mako. In addition, Canadian companies Thor Resources and Fortuna Mining are continuing the advanced development of their respective projects in Douta and Diamba Sud, with the aim of moving them into the construction phase.
In this rapidly evolving mining landscape, the progress made by Haranga Resources at Ibel South confirms the gold potential of south-eastern Senegal and reinforces the country's position as one of West Africa's emerging centres for gold exploration and production.