Mineralization at the Banfora Gold Project is structurally controlled and is widely associated with hematite, iron carbonate, sericite, pyrite and locally, with albitic alteration. Higher gold grades are commonly associated with stylolitic laminated quartz veins or pyrite veinlets. Coarse-grained gold is found in fractures within pyrite veins or in quartz-carbonate vein selvages. Mineralization is predominantly of a lode-style gold type, associated with discrete structures. The mineralization is interpreted to have formed from the same mineralizing system, with variations in style reflecting the difference in local lithological and structural settings.

NOGBELE DEPOSIT
Nogbele mineralization is primarily hosted in a series of generally planar, moderately to steeply dipping, northeast, and east striking fault zones. The most significant of these are throughgoing faults with strike lengths up to one kilometre, defined down to 250 m or more by drilling at depth, and with a faulted and mineralized envelope up to 30 m wide, but more typically three to ten metres wide. These through-going fault zones are typically cored by narrow (0.1 m to 3.0 m), high grade, zone-parallel quartz veins with similar or somewhat lesser continuity to that of the host faults. Along zones of intersection and/or deflection, such veins may tend to pinch, blow out, or bifurcate temporarily into en-echelon sets.

FOURKOURA DEPOSIT
A broad albite, hematite, and sericite alteration zone within the quartz gabbro surrounds the mineralization at Fourkoura. The early alteration forms quite significant domains within the host intrusive and is interpreted to represent an earlier pre-mineralizing event as the mineralization overprints this early alteration. The gold mineralization is associated with pervasive iron carbonate and hematite alteration with minor disseminated pyrite and milky quartz veins. In the north of the prospect, the mineralization occurs within a narrow deformed granitoid dyke with sheared margins. In the southern part of the prospect, mineralization is associated with discrete shears within the quartz gabbro, and with minor quartz veining.

STINGER DEPOSIT
Two related styles of alteration occur widely at the Stinger deposit:
1. Pale brownish-cream-apple green coloured alteration that is rich in ankeritic carbonate with lesser sericite and widespread trace amounts of disseminated pyrite.
2. Pale to cream coloured alteration probably rich in albite, perhaps with lesser quartz and sporadic trace amounts of disseminated pyrite.

Both alteration assemblages are locally associated with, or include hematite. The carbonate- rich assemblage affects all rock types, whereas the albite-rich assemblage is largely confined to the granitoid rocks. Where disseminated pyrite is present, but no infill quartz or carbonate veining, both alteration assemblages correspond with gold grades locally up to 1 g/t Au, although more generally in the range 0.1 g/t Au to 0.5 g/t Au.

Higher gold grades in excess of 1 g/t Au are commonly associated with milky quartz veins. Veins vary in thickness from less than one centimetre to approximately 30 cm. Pyrite is a common but not ubiquitous part of the veins and adjacent alteration halos. Within the veins, pyrite tends to be concentrated along the margins of strongly altered wall rock fragments.

SAMAVOGO DEPOSIT
Mineralization in the southern part of the Samavogo area is associated with brecciated quartz- carbonate-pyrite veining with minor graphite. These veins occur in sheared iron-carbonate altered sediments and volcanics that generally occur within 10 m to 20 m of a granitoid contact. Pervasively altered one metre to 10 m thick granitoid dykes are commonly spatially associated with the mineralized zone. Some of the higher-grade gold lodes in this area are associated with disseminated pyrite mineralization with the iron-carbonate altered rocks where veining is absent. The granitoid contact and mineralized zone both dip approximately 30° to the southeast. Several cross cutting faults split the deposit into four faulted blocks. Visible gold is common in brecciated veins in outcrop and float.

In the north of the area, the mineralization steps approximately 150 m to the north and is mainly associated with brittle veining along the contact of granitoid dykes. Mineralization is also associated with quartz-carbonate-pyrite mineral assemblages. Several discrete shear zones are evident in the north (fault blocks 2, 3, and 4), occurring approximately 10 m to 20 m apart from each other, however, generally only one lode contains significant gold grades. The strike and dip of the mineralization within fault blocks 2 to 4 has been defined for 2.4 km of strike length.

WGO encompasses open pit mining of multiple pits of variable size over an approximate 15-year timeframe (pre-production and production).

The mining operation is divided into four main regions, Nogbele, Fourkoura, Stinger, and Samavogo. Nogbele is further subdivided into Nogbele Nangolo, Nogbele North Central, and Nogbele South. Within the model areas, the terrain is generally flat with minimal relief. Roads connecting the satellite areas to the main area are generally level.

Material will be drilled and blasted where required, then loaded by backhoe excavators into haul trucks dispatched to the PCA, WRDs, or stockpiles. Various material types are considered in the mine planning and open pit design and there is a significant emphasis on mine sequencing to optimize WGO economics.

The total surface footprint area of all the pit designs is 399.6 ha. The maximum pit depth in each area is as follows:

• Nogbele Nangolo – 93 m
• Nogbele North Central – 145 m
• Nogbele South – 133 m
• Fourkoura – 110 m
• Stinger – 231 m
• Samavogo – 135 m.

Pre-split drill and blast operations are estimated for final pit walls in primary rock.

In general, in-pit haul roads were designed for two-way traffic at a maximum continuous gradient of 10%. In certain instances, the bottom 10 m to 20 m of pits may employ a narrower ramp width suitable for one-way traffic.

Two-way traffic pit wall haul road widths are 12 m wide, which includes provision for a single shoulder berm that is three quarters the height of the truck tires. The operable width is approximately nine metres, which is three times the truck width of approximately three metres. One-way traffic pit wall haul roads are nine metres wide.

In the bottom bench of pit areas, trenches were designed to excavate ore where appropriate. Trenches were excavated to a depth of up to 7.5 m, which is within the working depth reach of the specified excavator.

In larger or elongated pits, multiple haul road alignments were incorporated into the final pit walls to improve mining flexibility and reduce haulage times, which will offset the additional waste stripping required for the relatively narrow haul roads.

All haul roads are to be suitably crowned to allow for efficient drainage of surface water, where operations experience will determine the appropriate level of crowning (typically between 1% and 3%).

In general, development of main haul roads and permanent structures, such as the WRDs, around the open pits assumes a minimum setback of 25 m and 50 m respectively from pit rims.

The process plant design incorporates the following unit process operations:
• Single stage primary crushing with a single toggle jaw crusher to produce a crushed product size of P80 ranging from 100 mm to 140 mm, based on differing weathering types.
• A crushed ore stockpile with a live nominal capacity of 2,000 t.
• SAG and ball milling in closed circuit with a pebble crusher and hydrocyclones (SABC) to produce a P80 grind size of 106 µm.
• Leach and CIL circuit incorporating eight stages, with one stage of leaching without carbon and seven stages with carbon for gold adsorption.
• Split Anglo American Research Laboratory (SAARL) elution circuit, electrowinning, and gold smelting to recover gold from the loaded carbon to produce doré.
• Carbon reactivation utilizing a rotary kiln.
• Tailings thickening to recover and recycle process water and precious metal values from the CIL tailings.
• Tailings pumping to the TSF.

Haul trucks oper ........