Modern Mining January 2017

GOLD

of Africa’s great gold mines

as Obotan) and Esaase, 25 km to the north. The history of how these two properties came to be part of Asanko Gold, which is listed on the TSX and NYSE MKT, is a story in itself but suffice it to say that the new mine is the brainchild of well-known mining entre- preneurs Peter Breese and Colin Steyn (both

the year and we are now running well ahead of nameplate capacity – in fact, the mills are run- ning at over 10 000 tonnes per day, which is 20 % above design. It’s really been a fantastic startup for Asanko.” He adds that the mine is expected to produce between 230 000 and 240 000 ounces in 2017 at an All In Sustaining Cost (AISC) of between US$810/oz and US$840/oz, with the ore being derived from the main Nkran pit, which will be the source of 80 % of Phase 1’s ore, and also the new Dynamite Hill satellite pit, 7 km to the north of Nkran. Asanko was built in just 17 months with the EPCM contractor being DRA (with Redis Construction Afrika as the SMP contractor) and is the first new gold mine to have been brought on line in Ghana since Akyem, owned by Newmont, was commissioned in 2013. Most of Ghana’s gold mines are located on either the Ashanti or Sefwi gold belts but Asanko is on the smaller Asankrangwa belt, which histori- cally has tended to be neglected by exploration companies. Asanko Gold’s two main assets on the belt are Nkran (formerly known

Above: View of the Esaase site, which is located 25 km to the north of Nkran. Below: Asanko Gold Mine is the first in Ghana to utilise a slope stability radar (SSR). It has been supplied by GroundProbe.

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January 2017  MODERN MINING  47