Central African
Gold Plc / Ticker: CAN / Market: AIM / Sub-sector: Gold Mining
14th May 2007
Central
African Gold Plc (“CAG” or “the Company”)
Strengthening
of the Management Team
CAG, the AIM
traded gold mining and exploration company, is pleased to announce it
has appointed the following members to its team:
- Richard Dahl - Exploration
Manager, Mali;
- Simon Youds - Bibiani Mine
Underground Project Manager; and
- Dale Richards - Senior
Operations Geologist
The appointments are part
of the Company’s continuing strategy of assembling a strong management team with
the relevant experience and expertise to advance the Company’s gold exploration
and production portfolio in Ghana,
Mali, Botswana and Zimbabwe. Furthermore the new team
members will support the Board’s aggressive growth strategy of continuing to
acquire a solid portfolio of projects, to create a leading mid-tier African gold
mining company.
Richard Dahl, appointed
as the Exploration Manager in Mali,
has over 25 years experience as a geologist in the mineral exploration industry
throughout Africa, the Middle East, Europe and North
America. He has joined the Company to administer our Malian
exploration portfolio. Richard will be based in Bamako to support the now operational
Medinandi project and to help evaluate potential new properties ahead of the
2008 field season.
Previously Mr. Dahl was
an Associated Consulting Geologist with GAF-AG, a private international
geo-information technology company based in Germany with institutional mineral
resource projects worldwide. Mr. Dahl has experience in resource project
management in Mauritania, Madagascar and Papua New Guinea. Richard has
gained a sound understanding of the mining industry having worked in both
consultative and managerial roles within the geoscientific mineral exploration
arena. He worked as a Consulting Geologist undertaking geoscientific,
technical advisory and project management roles for clients such as North
American Palladium Ltd, Ditem Exploration Inc and Arca Exploration Inc. Mr. Dahl
was also Resident Manager for Cluff Mining Burkina SARL of Cluff Mining Ltd,
Santa Fe Mining Inc. and Newmont Mining USA, in Burkina Faso. He was in charge of
the evaluation and acquisition, programming, planning and execution of
exploration work on company licences. Furthermore Richard Dahl acted as a
Technical Advisor for the United Nations, where he was based in Niger, West Africa
designing, planning and installing a computerised geological and mining
information centre for mining exploration initiatives.
Simon Youds has been
appointed as the Bibiani Mine Underground Project Manager, CAG’s flagship
project in Ghana,
to help oversee the mine’s operations and assist with commissioning the phased
expansion of its operations and production levels. Simon specialises in
underground mining engineering and management and has over 12 years experience
in the area. He started his professional career as a mining engineer, having
graduated with a Batchelor of Engineering from the University of New South
Wales, Australia and subsequently held a number of positions in engineering
roles for Australian based mining companies, namely Managing Contractor for
Central Norseman Gold Corp Ltd; Drill and Blast Manager Engineer for Olympic
Dam Operations; and a Senior Operations Engineer for WMC Leinster Nickel
Operations.
More recently Mr. Youds
undertook various mining managerial roles where he was in charge of the
development and construction of mines. He was a Mining Manager for an
underground gold project in the Highlands of Kainantu in Papua New Guinea, where he has
worked since 2005. Previously he held positions in Tanzania with Barrick Gold
Corporation and Afrika Mashariki Gold Mines Ltd.
Dale Richards has been
appointed by CAG as Senior Operations Geologist. Mr. Richards has gained over
ten years experience in the mining industry working in the operational geology
field in consultative roles primarily in western, central and southern Africa. His work to date has had a strong emphasis on ore
body modelling, mineral resource and mineral reserve estimation and strategic
planning. Until recently he was an Advisor for Venmyn Rand Pty Ltd a South
African based, independent mining and minerals management consultancy, where he
compiled technical and geological information and compiled techno-economic
reports.
Dale has had extensive
experience in both Ghana and
South Africa
having worked in senior geologist positions for a number of large mining
houses. He has worked for Ghana Manganese Company in a consultative role,
reviewing historical exploration data for brown-field gold exploration
projects. Additionally Mr. Richards has worked closely with Gold Fields, a
world class precious metal producer, on a number of its mining projects in both
Ghana and South Africa. He was employed to
work as a senior geologist on the Tarkwa gold mine in Ghana overseeing geological
modelling, geo-statistical evaluation and implementing a grade control system
for its operations. He was also contracted by Gold Fields to oversee the
operational geology function of the East Driefontein gold mine and the Kloof gold
mine, both based in South Africa
near Johannesburg.
Mr. Richard’s applied ground experience will supplement CAG’s Bibiani
operations in Ghana and help
support the Company’s growing operational base in Zimbabwe.
Central African Gold’s
CEO Mr Greg Hunter said: “We are very pleased to welcome such experienced
personnel to the Company and feel they are ideally suited to advance our
aggressive growth objectives. We have an already strong portfolio of projects;
both producing and exploration focussed in Ghana,
Mali, Zimbabwe and Botswana, and are currently
reviewing further prospects in the immediate area. I believe the new additions
to the management team have added to the strong skills base of the Company and
will help support the Board in delivering its vision of CAG becoming a mid-tier
African mining house.”
*
* ENDS * *
For further information
please contact or visit www.centralafricangold.com
or contact:
Greg Hunter Central
African Gold Plc Tel: +27 (0)82 882 4222
In London:
Hugo de Salis St
Brides Media & Finance Ltd Tel: +44 (0)20 7242 4477
Felicity
Edwards St Brides Media & Finance
Ltd Tel: +44 (0)20 7242 4477
Simon Raggett Strand
Partners Limited Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 3494
Braden Saunders Strand
Partners Limited Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 3494
In South Africa:
Nicole Broome Central
African Gold Tel +27 11 676 2500
Mobile
+27 83 601 1702
Charmane Russell Russell
and Associates Tel: + 27 11 880 3924 (Tel)
Mobile
+ 27 82 372 5816
Notes
to Editors:
Central African Gold Plc,
admitted to AIM in April 2004, was established to acquire gold assets with a
geographical focus on Africa. The Company has
established a sound portfolio with projects in Ghana,
Mali and Botswana. It has a highly
experienced management team, which has worked together for four years managing
six underground greenstone gold mining operations and building exploration
portfolios.
CAG’s portfolio includes
the producing Bibiani gold mine and prospecting licences in Ghana, which it acquired from AngloGold Ashanti
Ltd, two joint ventures in Mali
covering 23 prospective permits and licences in Botswana
covering the extension of the Kraaipan greenstone belt from South Africa. The directors are
evaluating additional prospects in Africa to
establish CAG as a leading mid-tier African gold producer with world class
exploration and production assets.
Isabel
Crossley
St Brides Media & Finance Ltd
Aldermary House, 10-15 Queen Street
London EC4N 1TX
Tel: 020 7242 4477
Fax: 020 7651 8689
Email: isabel@sbmf.co.uk