- Desert Gold Ventures (TSXV:DAU) has launched a US$535,000 Phase 1 exploration program at its newly acquired Tiegba Gold Project in Ivory Coast, targeting a highly prospective but never-before-drilled area along the Tehini Shear Zone.
- The program includes soil and rock sampling, geological mapping, drone-based magnetic surveys, and 3,500 metres of aircore drilling to identify and validate mineralized zones.
- If successful, the company plans to follow up with 2,500 metres of reverse circulation drilling in mid-2026 to test depth continuity and prepare for resource definition
- Desert Gold Ventures stock (TSXV:DAU) last traded at $0.07
Desert Gold Ventures (TSXV:DAU) has officially announced the launch of its Phase 1 exploration program at the newly acquired 297 km² Tiegba Gold Project in Ivory Coast. The initiative marks a significant step in the company’s expansion into West Africa’s prolific gold belts and aims to unlock the potential of a highly prospective but underexplored region.
Location and geological promise
The Tiegba Project is situated along the Tehini Shear Zone, a major structural corridor within the Birimian orogenic gold belt, which hosts over 7 million ounces of known gold endowment. Despite compelling surface anomalies and favorable geological structures, the area has never been drill tested, presenting a rare first-mover opportunity for Desert Gold.
This content has been prepared as part of a partnership with Desert Gold Ventures Inc. and is intended for informational purposes only.
CEO Jared Scharf expressed optimism in a media release about the project’s potential:
“Based on historic data and what we saw on the ground during our due diligence site visits, the Tiegba project appears to be poised for a new discovery. The primary objectives of this program is to drill test the main gold anomaly along the north-east trending shear corridor while other surface exploration work will focus on broadening the scope of the Tiegba project on lesser explored parts of the tenement.”
Phase 1 exploration breakdown
The 2025–2026 program is budgeted at US$535,000 and will be executed in two sub-phases:
Phase 1a: Surface work (Q4 2025–Q2 2026)
- 3,500 soil samples to refine historical anomalies and expand coverage.
- 500 rock samples for anomaly validation.
- 500 metres of grooving to expose near-surface structures and collect channel samples.
- Geological and regolith mapping to establish structural frameworks and access routes.
Phase 1b: Geophysics and aircore drilling (Q1–Q2 2026)
- UAV-based magnetic survey over ~164 line-kilometres, oriented perpendicular to the Tehini Shear Zone at 50m spacing.
- 3,500 metres of Aircore (AC) drilling to test soil and auger anomalies aligned with magnetic data.
Outlook: Toward resource definition
Pending successful results from Phase 1, Desert Gold plans to initiate 2,500 metres of reverse circulation (RC) drilling in Q2/Q3 2026. This will target continuity at depth and help delineate drill-defined targets for future resource estimation.
Project acquisition and regional context
Desert Gold secured a 90 per cent interest in the Tiegba Project through an option agreement with Flower Holdings SARLU. The project lies near major deposits such as Agbaou, Bonikro/Hire, and Yaouré, and shares geological similarities with the Bonikro-Agbaou mine complex, enhancing its potential for large-scale orogenic gold systems.
Budget summary
| Tiegba exploration summary costs (USD) | |
| AC drilling + UAV mag survey | $175,000 |
| Camp and field | $80,000 |
| Assays | $110,000 |
| Technical studies | $50,000 |
| Surface exploration | $120,000 |
| Total costs | $535,000 |
With a robust exploration plan and promising geological indicators, the Tiegba Project could become a cornerstone asset in the company’s portfolio.
Desert Gold Ventures Inc. is a gold exploration and development company that holds two gold exploration permits in Western Mali (SMSZ Project and Djimbala) and its Rutare gold project in central Rwanda.
Desert Gold Ventures stock (TSXV:DAU) last traded at $0.07 and has risen 7.14 per cent since the year began.
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