Savannah Resources Plc / Index: AIM / Epic: SAV / Sector: Mining
7 May 2014
Savannah Resources Plc
Expansion of Technical Team in Mozambique and Oman
Savannah Resources plc (AIM: SAV) announces that it has appointed three experienced geoscientists to manage the Company's fast paced exploration programmes in Mozambique and Oman. These technical appointments will support Savannah in defining a maiden resource at its Jangamo Heavy Mineral Sands Project in Mozambique and help the Company deliver on its strategy of becoming a mid-tier copper development company and producer in Oman.
Savannah's CEO, David Archer said, "We have assembled a high calibre team of very capable senior executives to lead and develop the Company's exciting mineral sands project in Mozambique and our soon to be acquired copper projects in Oman. The quality of the team will help Savannah quickly advance its exploration portfolio as we remain focussed on adding significant value to our prospective portfolio of projects."
Mozambique Exploration Manager
Savannah has secured the services of the experienced geologist Dean Wadsworth who graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the University of Auckland and has over 28 years' experience in the exploration industry. Much of Dean's exploration work has been gold and copper focussed around the Pacific region, working primarily on the island of New Guinea in Papua New Guinea ('PNG') and Indonesian Papua, along with New Zealand, Canada, Mexico, Ghana, Australia, and more recently Mozambique. He has led a number of large exploration programmes in these culturally diverse areas especially PNG and Indonesia with much success in achieving project goals. He has worked with a mix of major and junior companies including Freeport Indonesia, Hillgrove Resources Limited, Triple Plate Junction Plc and Goldminex Resources Limited and brings a wealth of experience to the role.
Mozambique Exploration Professional
In addition to the new exploration managers Savannah has contracted a highly experienced mineral sands geologist, Colin Rothnie, to provide technical support in Mozambique. Colin has a wealth of experience exploring and developing mineral sands deposits and was the Technical Manager - Mining at Kenmare's Moma titanium minerals project in the Nampula Province in Mozambique, supervising the geology, mine planning and survey teams. He spent seven years in Mozambique helping Kenmare develop this resource and held the role of "Competent Person" for their reserves and resources. Prior to this Colin worked in a number of Australian based roles within the mineral sands sector.
Oman Exploration Manager
Greg Nowak has been appointed to the role of Exploration Manager for Oman. Greg is a well-credentialed geologist and brings over 25 years' hands-on experience in all phases of exploration for gold, uranium, base metals, diamonds and petroleum in West Africa, the western and south-western United States, Canada and South America. This includes 20 years of gold exploration field and management experience in the Precambrian Birimian greenstone belts and Archæan greenstone belts of West Africa (Ghana, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso, Liberia, Sierra Leone and Niger). Greg was a member of the exploration field team that discovered the Noranda (WMC) Hog Ranch Gold Deposit in northwest Nevada, USA and was responsible for the initial grassroots discovery of the Grumesa Gold Deposit in Ghana, Africa, currently being developed by Perseus Mining Ltd.
**ENDS**
For further information please visit www.savannahresources.com or contact:
David Archer |
Savannah Resources plc |
Tel: +44 20 3664 9330 |
James Maxwell / Jen Boorer |
N+1 Singer |
Tel: +44 20 7496 3000 |
Felicity Edwards/ Charlotte Heap |
St Brides Media & Finance Ltd |
Tel: +44 20 7236 1177 |
About Savannah
Savannah Resources Plc (AIM: SAV) is a multi-commodity focussed exploration and development company. Through its 80% ownership of Matilda Minerals Limitada it operates the Jangamo exploration project in a world class mineral sands province in Mozambique which borders Rio Tinto's Mutamba deposit, one of two major deposits Rio Tinto has defined in Mozambique, which collectively have an exploration target of 7-12Bn tonnes at 3-4.5% THM1 (published in 2008).
Savannah also holds the right to two copper projects in the highly prospective Semail Ophiolite Belt in Oman. The projects, which have an Indicated and Inferred Mineral Resource of 1.7Mt @ 2.2% copper and high grade intercepts of up to 56.35m at 6.21% Cu, provide Savannah with an excellent opportunity to potentially evolve into a mid-tier copper producer in a relatively short time frame. Together with its Omani partners Savannah will look for ways to aggregate and explore as many opportunities as possible to provide the critical mass for a central operating plant to develop the deposits.
In addition, Savannah owns an effective 20.9% strategic shareholding in Alecto Minerals Plc which provides Savannah with exposure to both the highly prospective Kossanto Gold Project in the prolific Kenieba inlier in Mali and also to the Wayu Boda and Aysid Meketel gold / base metal projects in Ethiopia for which Alecto has a joint venture with Centamin Plc. Under this joint venture, Centamin Plc is committing up to US$14m in exploration funding to earn up to 70% of each project. The Company is also evaluating additional opportunities to expand its portfolio and geographical focus.
