Montage Gold pours first gold at Koné mine

Montage Gold said its Koné mine in Côte d’Ivoire has achieved first gold pour on budget and ahead of the initial Q2-2027 schedule, with the milestone reached on September 26, 2026 and yielding approximately 1,140 ounces of gold.

The company said more than 400,000 tonnes of ore have been processed since ore was first introduced into the oxide circuit on September 8, 2026. It said the early completion of that circuit allowed gold production to start significantly ahead of the original timetable, and that the oxide circuit is expected to reach commercial production in Q4-2026.

Montage said construction of the hard-rock comminution circuit remains on budget and on track for completion in Q2-2027. It also said construction began in December 2024.

The company said construction of the Koné mine has created approximately 3,600 jobs, with over 95% of them held by nationals, and that the operation is expected to create approximately 1,500 permanent roles once fully ramped up.

Montage said an exploration programme of over 130,000 metres of drilling is underway at Koné for 2026, which will total over 380,000 metres drilled since the 2024 Updated Feasibility Study was published. The company also said it expects to publish an updated life-of-mine plan for Koné along with year-end reserves and resources.