The deposit defined within the Minim Martap Project Resource is a Bauxite Deposit. The formation of bauxite within a lateritic setting requires the presence of Al bearing ground rock, an oxygen-rich groundwater, a warm temperate – tropical environment with high rainfall levels, and time.

The presence of bauxite relates predominantly to the reduction of all other elements from the lateritic section, especially Si and Fe, leaving Al present within the very stable series of Al hydroxides of Gibbsite and Boehmite. Bauxite forms in the top of the lateritic profile where it is preserved (the top 10-15m), overlying often a 2-5m transition zone), and derived from the underlying sediments. The surface of the bauxite zone is dominated by bauxite rubble, with little Fe oxides and other minerals present – it is clearly a surface that is undergoing physical erosion over time and it is highly probable that this surface has reduced in level quite significantly since the period from which the current plateaus were meant to have been preserved.

The bauxite zone in the Cameroon Ngaoundéré region is predominantly 10-15m thick, and within it the grades of Al can vary between 35-62% Al as well as 5-30%Fe. These elements are the two main constituents. The Ngaoundal bauxite is formed from the bauxitization of a basalt and this has meant significantly lower Al Grades, higher Fe grades and very low residual Si values. The Minim Martap and Makan bauxite is formed over more Al r ........

The mine design, upon which the Ore Reserve estimate is based, is simple, edge-to-edge strip mining, open-pit and resulting in very low structural geotechnical risk. The bauxite will be mined from the tops of plateaux and as such the development of significant pit walls is not a feature. As such it is not anticipated that significant structural geotechnical investigations or pit slope stability analysis will be required for this project. Mining productivity has been based on benchmarked data and equipment manufacturer input.

The PFS strategic mine schedules utilised inputs derived from the Scoping Study to refine the optimal mine areas. This resulted in a consolidated mining area about the three sub-plateaux of Beatrice South, Raymonde-East and DanielleCentral. Detailed, quarterly, mining schedules were derived from the strategic schedules.

The high-grade ore and near surface nature of the bauxite deposits lends itself to simple, industry typical mining methods, at low cost and with low strip ratios. Due to the simple nature of mining it is anticipated to be conducted as an owner operation using conventional mechanised equipment including surface-miners, bull dozers, front end loaders, haul trucks and other typical ancillary mining equipment. The potential for mining contract operations will continue to be investigated as development progresses.

The ore presents with favourable physical properties and requires no beneficiation, washing or scre ........

After cutting with the surface miners, the bauxite will be loaded into mine trucks using front-end-loaders and hauled to the ROM stockpile areas (one ROM per plateau). No crushing or screening will be required. Bauxite will rehandled into high-capacity road trains and hauled from the mine areas to the rail-head at Makor, where the bauxite will be transferred onto into containerized vessels, which will be loaded onto flat-bed rail cars for transport to the port of Douala, a distance of some 840km. At the port, the bauxite will be stockpiled before being loaded onto barges and trans-shipped into ocean-going vessels for delivery to the customers – principally, alumina refineries in Europe, Middle East and Asia. The bauxite product is suitable for direct feed into alumina refineries using the low-temperature Bayer process to convert bauxite to pure alumina, and it is expected that a premium price can be obtained due to the relatively high Al2O3 grade and low SiO2 grade of the product, comp ........