Old and new sponsors are set to benefit from the fourth stage of Amira’s long-running West African Exploration Initiative.

WAXI4 is working closely with sponsors now to fine-tune the project to ensure it benefits each company.

What’s new in this round?

WAXI has been operating since 2006, providing significant benefit to more than 70 sponsors involved in exploration in West Africa.

During this time it has produced:

• 650 GB exploration geoscience database
• 650,000 km2 of geophysically constrained geological mapping
• 1800 person-days of technical training in West Africa
• 97 PhD, Masters and Honours projects, half of which are in country.

While WAXI4 will build on this extraordinary foundation, it will also include:

• Strong focus on mineral systems analysis
• Pilot studies in the Archean and Pan-African and Basins
• Geographic foci to be led by sponsors.

What do people say about WAXI?

Howard Golden, Managing Director with Arrow Minerals has been involved with WAXI in various capacities for 10 years.

Talking to Amira, Mr Golden said the skill development for employees was just one important and tangible benefit.

“The structural mapping by WAXI, for example, has been very useful, and much of the research has real, everyday implications for exploration,” Mr Golden said.

“In one specific instance, WAXI reinterpreted what was previously thought to be two separate greenstone belts as one folded structure, and that of course had real implications for exploration.

“There is so much data available through WAXI and when you are doing exploration more information is always better.

“WAXI has also done a great job of looking at the area on a regional level, avoiding the trap of focusing on small areas of high data density.”

Next steps

Amira Global Manager Collaborations Hayley McGillivray, who is managing the project for Amira, said sponsors were still welcome.

“We currently have a number of sponsors ready to begin,” Ms McGillivray said.

“WAXI4 is taking this project to a new level; new information about the region is expected to be delivered to sponsors with a strong mineral systems focus.”

Professor Mark Jessell from the University of Western Australia is leading the large, global research team.

For more information or to sign on, please contact Hayley McGillivray at hayley.mcgillivray@amira.global.