Serval Resources is preparing to launch its first drilling campaign in Namibia after identifying the Omatapati copper-silver prospect as the cornerstone of its Kaoko Basin exploration portfolio, where historical drilling has already returned intersections of 19 metres grading 2.6% copper.
The AIM-listed company, which recently raised funds to advance a portfolio of copper and future metals projects across Namibia, Botswana and Côte d’Ivoire, said its maiden Namibian drilling programme is targeted for the fourth quarter of 2026 following an extensive exploration campaign designed to refine and rank drill targets.
Serval controls four exclusive prospecting licences covering approximately 789 square kilometres in north-western Namibia and considers the entire land package highly prospective for sediment-hosted copper and silver mineralisation. The company’s immediate focus will be on EPL 7081 and EPL 7082, with EPL 7081 emerging as its highest-priority licence due to the presence of the Omatapati, Horseshoe and Otjozongombe prospects.
Historical drilling and geochemical work across the licence have already confirmed the presence of copper-silver mineralisation, providing Serval with a foundation on which to build its exploration programme. At Omatapati, previous drilling intersected 19 metres grading 2.6% copper, while mineralisation has also been identified from surface at several prospects.
The project is located within the Kaoko Belt, which Serval interprets as a geological extension of the world-renowned Central African Copperbelt in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, one of the world’s most prolific copper-producing regions and home to some of the largest sediment-hosted copper deposits globally.
According to the company, copper and silver mineralisation within the region occurs along contacts between the Nosib and Otavi geological groups, with particular focus on the Ombombo Subgroup, where favourable geological conditions have created targets for sediment-hosted copper mineralisation.
Rather than moving directly into drilling, Serval intends to spend the coming months systematically building a detailed geological understanding of the mineralised systems. The programme will combine geological mapping, high-resolution ground magnetic surveys, soil geochemistry and targeted trenching to better define the extent of mineralisation and identify the most prospective drill targets.
Geological mapping will focus on tracing mineralised horizons exposed at surface and identifying structural controls that may influence the distribution of copper mineralisation. Ground magnetic surveys will be used to define geological contacts beneath cover and identify potential structural traps where mineralised zones may continue below surface.
The company also plans to undertake extensive soil sampling across priority target areas. The programme will seek to establish direct correlations between geophysical anomalies and copper mineralisation, with samples analysed using handheld XRF technology to rapidly identify anomalous copper concentrations.
Targeted trenching at selected prospects is expected to provide additional information on the geometry of mineralised structures and assist in the design of future drill programmes.
While most of the initial work will focus on EPL 7081 and EPL 7082, Serval will also advance exploration on EPL 7079 and EPL 6998 through regional mapping and geophysical surveys aimed at establishing the broader extent of the prospective Nosib-Otavi contact.
All exploration datasets will ultimately be integrated to rank and prioritise targets ahead of drilling. The company believes the programme will significantly reduce exploration risk while improving its understanding of the size and continuity of known mineralised systems.
The maiden drilling campaign will focus on testing mineralisation at depth and along strike, with the objective of determining whether the historical discoveries have the potential to support a maiden mineral resource in the future.
Serval chief executive officer Robin Birchall said the company had designed a focused exploration strategy following its recent AIM listing and fundraising.
“Further to our recent AIM listing and concurrent fundraise, the focus has been on setting out the most high impact and targeted work programmes possible in line with our available budget,” Birchall said.
“The goal, as always, is systematic exploration utilising a combination of geological techniques in order to build upon our knowledge of the known mineralisation.”
He said the company was confident that integrating multiple exploration datasets would improve target definition ahead of drilling.
“We are confident that this multi-dataset approach will significantly de-risk future drilling which we intend to start at our projects during the second half of 2026.”
Serval’s plans add to growing exploration activity across Namibia’s Kaoko Belt, where a number of companies are targeting sediment-hosted copper systems amid rising global demand for the metal. For Serval, the success of Omatapati and the broader EPL 7081 licence could determine whether the company joins the next generation of copper developers emerging from north-western Namibia.
