African Pioneer has commenced a 7,000-metre drilling programme at its Ongombo and Ongeama copper projects in Namibia, marking a new phase in the company’s efforts to expand its mineral resources and advance the projects towards mine development.
The programme, announced on 16 October 2026, comprises approximately 119 drill holes in its first phase, with one drilling rig initially deployed to investigate extensions of existing mineralisation and obtain additional geological information needed for future mining plans.
The drilling will focus on extending the mineral resources around the proposed open-pit mining area at Ongombo, while also examining neighbouring mineralised zones that could increase the scale of the company’s copper operations.
The London-listed company said the drilling is being carried out under its financing and technical services agreement with Hong Kong Xinhai Mining Services Limited, signed on 30 July 2026. The agreement provides a framework for further exploration, technical studies and the potential development of a new copper mining operation combining Ongombo and Ongeama.
African Pioneer holds an 85% interest in Ongombo, which already has a JORC-compliant mineral resource estimate of 29 million tonnes grading 1.1% copper equivalent. The resource provides a starting point for development, although further drilling is required to establish how much additional material could be economically mined.
One of the principal objectives of the programme is to investigate extensions of the existing resource that external engineering consultants have identified as potentially supporting three to four years of open-pit mining. The company is also targeting extensions of known mineralised bodies at neighbouring Ongeama, which could provide additional ore during the early years of a combined mining operation.
The drilling will also provide information for underground mine design, including geotechnical assessments needed to determine suitable mining methods and long-term development arrangements.
Another area of interest is the East–Ost mineralised shoots, where previous exploration identified thicker sections of copper mineralisation. However, drilling coverage remains insufficient in some areas, while historical exploration undertaken during the 1980s did not include complete gold assays.
African Pioneer intends to improve its understanding of the grades, widths and continuity of these mineralised zones, which could contribute additional resources if the drilling results are favourable.
The company ultimately wants to establish a single mineral resource covering Ongombo and Ongeama, allowing the deposits to be evaluated together for mining and processing purposes rather than as separate developments.
The programme has initially started with one drilling rig to allow technical personnel to establish the systems needed to manage the large volume of drill core expected during the campaign. Additional rigs are expected to be introduced as operations progress.
Plans are also under way to construct an on-site facility where drill core can be received, logged, cut and sampled before laboratory testing. The facility will provide secure, long-term storage for geological samples and support the technical work required for mine planning.
The drilling campaign is expected to continue for several months, with final laboratory results following thereafter.
African Pioneer chairman Colin Bird said the commencement of drilling represented an important step towards developing the two deposits.
“I am pleased to be able to confirm that work is underway that will lead to the development of a new mining operation at Ongombo – Ongeama. Our partners at Xinhai have been working closely with our Namibian-based team and we are providing the in-country technical skills required to manage the drilling programme including logging, sampling and sample custody for certified assays. We will keep shareholders updated with progress as we increase the number of drill rigs on-site to fast-track the programme”.
Ongombo is situated approximately 45 kilometres from Windhoek in the Khomas Region, within Exclusive Prospecting Licence 5772. The project is about 15 kilometres northeast of the Otjihase mine and lies within Namibia’s copper-bearing Matchless Belt.
The project already has a mining licence and environmental clearance certificate, while technical work has been examining the possibility of increasing the open-pit resource and establishing an economically viable mining operation.
African Pioneer previously indicated that the development programme could include an additional 3,000 metres of drilling at Ongeama, depending on the results of the initial campaign. This would increase the potential drilling programme to 10,000 metres, although the additional work has not yet been confirmed.
The company’s immediate priorities are to complete the drilling, obtain laboratory results, update the mineral resource and use the findings to refine its mining and processing plans.
The start of drilling follows several months of preparations under the Xinhai agreement, including the satisfaction of conditions precedent announced in September.
Although the programme marks progress towards potential production, African Pioneer has not yet announced a definitive construction timetable or first copper production date. Those decisions will depend on the results of the current technical work and the completion of the necessary development arrangements.
