Sierra Leone remains under explored for primary gold deposits, despite the existence of rich gold fields worked since the 1920s and the occurrence of highly prospective and significantly mineralised Archaean greenstone gold belts. Mano through its local subsidiary Golden Leo Resources has assembled a portfolio of exceptional gold licences targeting some of the most prolific gold producing areas and significant structural settings within Sierra Leone.

On the 25th November 2003 Mano announced the signing of a Letter of Agreement with Golden Star Resources (GSR) for a Joint Venture on the gold licences held by Mano in Sierra Leone. The Joint Venture requires staged expenditure of $6m over four years by GSR in order to earn an initial 51% interest in the properties. Mano retains the option to co-fund through to production to maintain its 49% interest in the properties (for the full text, please view the full news release.).

Pampana (EPL 6/96): The Pampana Licences target crustal-scale gold mineralised shear zones across 140km² of the southern end of the Sula Mountains greenstone gold belt. The EPLs include the Yirisen gold project, which is a 3.75km long north east trending gold system, open along strike, with the zone of mineralization reaching up to 200m wide as defined by a combination of mapped sites of in situ mineralization, artisanal workings, United Nations funded trenching and soil geochemical anomalies.

Sonfon (EPL 5/96): Considered to be the most significant and highest potential gold structure in Sierra Leone. In May 2002, Mano announced the signature of a Heads of Agreement with Golden Prospect Plc (AIM:GOL) to jointly explore contiguous EPLs at Lake Sonfon in the Sula Mountains greenstone gold belt. Phase-1 has identified the ‘YDS’ zone, a 3km by 0.3km wide gold anomaly co-incident with extensive artisanal gold workings and in association with a gold-bearing stockwork vein system. Trenches across the zone have assayed up to 7.3m@7.4g/t. Sampling has also confirmed previous work including a grab sample of 77oz/t.

Nimini (EPL 15/96): Lies over a zone of major shearing and folding in which seven hard rock gold targets have been identified with two more on the boarder. The western part of the EPL contains extensions of the Komahun primary gold deposit, while a major shear runs parallel to the eastern boundary of the EPL that contains an extensive 4km x 0.5km gold and base metal geochemical anomaly previously identified by an EEC survey. Artisanal gold mining is active across all the main drainages.

Freetown, viewed across the Aberdeen Peninsular
Photograph courtesy of UNOCHA