Resolute secures permit for Doropo gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire

[Ben Graham]

Resolute Mining (ASX: RSG) has secured a 14-year mining permit for its Doropo gold project in Côte d’Ivoire, clearing the final regulatory hurdle to develop the mine and lifting the company’s pathway to annual production above 500,000 ounces by the end of 2028.

The permit, granted following a Council of Ministers meeting, is the last government approval required before development and operations can begin, with a formal Presidential Decree expected in coming weeks.

Chief executive Chris Eger said the approval marked a major milestone for Doropo and reflected strong backing from local communities and government authorities.

Resolute plans to move the project toward construction in the first half of this year, with mine building estimated to take about two years. Total capital investment is expected to reach 300 billion CFA francs, or about $539 million, alongside a further $204 million earmarked for gold exploration elsewhere in the country.

In December 2025, Resolute updated its definitive feasibility study, outlining a high-margin project with average annual gold production of 169,000 ounces at an all-in sustaining cost of $1,406/oz over a 13-year mine life. Operations are slated to begin in 2028.

The company envisages a multiple open-pit operation targeting shallow-dipping gold structures. Ore would be processed through a carbon-in-leach plant with installed capacity of 4.9 Mtpa for fresh material, incorporating a crushing circuit, a SAG mill and a gold extraction circuit.

Doropo is located in the Bounkani region, the poorest area in Côte d’Ivoire, where 71% of the population lived on roughly 1,000 CFA francs, or $1.76, a day in 2021, according to the national statistics agency. Illegal gold mining remains a persistent challenge in the region.

Not the first

Resolute is not alone in advancing large-scale gold projects in the country. Montage Gold (TSX-V: MAU) is building the Koné project in the Kani and Dianra departments and said last month that first gold is now expected in the fourth quarter of this year, ahead of the earlier target of the second quarter of 2027.

Koné is Montage’s flagship asset and one of the largest mining developments in West Africa, with targeted annual production of 300,000 ounces. The project spans 1,318 sq. km and includes several satellite targets.

Despite growing investment interest, Côte d’Ivoire still trails Africa’s leading gold producers, including Ghana, South Africa, Mali and Burkina Faso.