Aurum Resources has achieved a significant regulatory milestone in advancing its Boundiali gold project in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa, after receiving three Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (EIESA) certificates.

These approvals cover all three mining licence applications across the company’s BST, BD and BM tenements and are a mandatory requirement under Ivorian law before mining licences can be granted.

The certifications were issued on 20 May following a comprehensive 12-month environmental and social assessment spanning nearly 573 square kilometres, including extensive community consultation, a public inquiry process and technical review meetings in Abidjan.The approval is considered a key de-risking step for the project, which now hosts a reported 3.22 million-ounce gold resource.Recently, Aurum also upgraded the Boundiali resource, including a 24 per cent increase in indicated resources to 1.7 million ounces.

This upgraded estimate will feed into a pre-feasibility study expected later this quarter, with a definitive feasibility study scheduled for the December quarter.

The project has developed rapidly, reaching its current scale in just over two years, supported by Aurum’s strategy of operating its own diamond drilling fleet, which has expanded to 16 rigs.Aurum reports a broader group resource base of 4.38 million ounces when including its nearby Napié project.

The company remains well funded, holding approximately $61 million in cash at the end of March, allowing ongoing drilling activity and development studies.

With environmental approvals now secured, Aurum is progressing toward mining licence grants and further technical studies, positioning Boundiali as a potentially significant emerging gold development in West Africa.