Orezone signs Essakane mining convention

Orezone Resources Inc., an explorer and emerging gold producer whose main asset is the Essakane Project, the largest gold deposit in Burkina Faso, West Africa, has signed the mining convention for the Essakane gold with His Excellence Abdoulaye Abdoulkader Cissé, Minister of Mines and Energy for Burkina Faso.

The signing of the convention was the last stage required in the Burkina Faso mining approval process.

The convention is valid for 20 years and is renewable for the full life of the mining permit.

The company has also received the first delivery of mining and earth moving equipment at the Essakane site. Four new CAT 777F haulage trucks (100 ton capacity and the largest ever to enter Burkina Faso) and one CAT 345 excavator are on site while two CAT D9R dozers are in country being assembled.

An O&K 90C shovel (170 ton with a 10m3 bucket), a CAT 56CS compactor and a fifth 777F haulage truck are all expected on site over the next two to seven weeks.

The company plans to utilise this equipment to start the earthworks related to mine infrastructure construction. The company has already hired skilled operators and trainers for the drilling purpose.