Ownership:
90% IAMGOLD, 10% Government of Burkina Faso
Location
The Essakane project is located in north-eastern Burkina Faso, West Africa. It straddles the boundary of the Oudalan and Seno provinces in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso and is approximately 330 km northeast of the capital, Ouagadougou. It is situated 42 km east of the nearest large town and the provincial capital of Oudalan, Gorom-Gorom.
Burkina Faso is a landlocked nation. It is surrounded by six countries: Mali to the north, Niger to the east, Benin to the south east, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Côte d'Ivoire to the south west. It covers an area of 274,000 km² and has an estimated population of more than 18 million people. The Essakane deposit is located within a 100.2 km² mining permit that is surrounded by six exploration permits covering a total area of 1,266km².
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History
IAMGOLD commenced management of the Essakane project following the acquisition of Orezone Resources in February 2009. Essakane began commercial production in July 2010. The plant expansion to accommodate a substantial increase of hard rock, was completed on time at the end of 2013.