Toronto, Ontario — February 27, 2026 — Leads & Copy — Awalé Resources Limited (TSXV: ARIC) (OTCQX: AWLRF) (FSE: 2F60) has announced assay results from the first six holes of its high-grade underground drilling program at the BBM gold-copper discovery within the Odienné Project in Côte d’Ivoire.
The drilling is part of an 11-hole, 7,000-metre step-down program designed to test the down-plunge extension of BBM’s high-grade core and evaluate its underground potential down to an initial 600m vertical depth. Assays for the remaining five holes are pending.
According to Andrew Chubb, President and CEO of Awalé Resources, the results show increasing gold and copper grades at depth.
Significant intercepts include:
3.3 g/t gold equivalent over 38m (38m @ 3 g/t gold and 0.5% copper) from 447m, including 6.4 g/t gold equivalent over 6m (6m @ 6.4 g/t gold and 0.95% copper) (BBDD-20)*
2.1 g/t gold equivalent over 22m (22m @ 1.3 g/t gold and 0.84% copper) from 505m (BBDD-9)
2.0 g/t gold equivalent over 42m (42m @ 1.4 g/t gold and 0.51% copper) from 459m (BBDD-15)
*All AuEq. grades calculated assuming 80% metallurgical recovery for all metals.
Chubb stated that the company believes there is a significant opportunity for continued growth at BBM, particularly as they are seeing evidence of increasing grades with depth in the drilling. To date, drilling has demonstrated the open-pit potential at BBM, which now covers a 1.2 km zone. This new drilling looks to expand the underground potential of this target. With the initial Mineral Resource Estimate targeted for early Q2, the company is beginning to define this zone, and coupled with the deeper drilling, they are starting to better define the scale of the system.
The company is also awaiting drilling results from Charger and Empire, along with further news from its 100%-owned Awalé permits, where the team continues to advance exploration across the Seydou, Sama, and Sienso permits.
The 11-hole, 7,000-metre step-down diamond drilling program forms the first phase of drilling designed to evaluate the potential for an underground mineral resource at the BBM target. This initial phase is focused on testing continuity of the higher-grade core of the BBM system down-plunge to a depth of approximately 600 metres below surface. Results from the first six holes reported in this release represent the beginning of defining this underground potential.
If successful, further step-out drilling will be planned to test and extend the higher-grade zone to a depth of 800m below surface. The gold, copper, and molybdenite mineralization is associated with a marked increase in strain intensity and silica-biotite alteration along the subvertical to south-southwest contact between a sheared granodiorite host and footwall metasediments and metavolcanics.
Concurrent exploration programs are underway across Awalé’s 100%-owned permits. Intensive surface geochemistry programs are advancing at Seydou and Sama, while a 3,000-metre air-core program at the Fremen target (Sienso) is nearing completion. Positive results are expected to support follow-up percussion and diamond drilling across the broader Odienné land package with the purpose of making new discoveries.
Awalé is exploring the Odienné Copper-Gold Project, covering 2,346 km2 across seven permits-five granted and two applications. This includes 797 km2 in two permits held under the Awalé-Newmont Joint Venture. Awalé currently manages all exploration activities over the OJV, with funding currently provided by Newmont Ventures Limited under an Exploration Agreement signed in May 2022.
Awalé has discovered four gold, gold-copper, and gold-copper-silver-molybdenum mineralized systems within the OJV and has recently commenced exploration on its 100%-owned properties.
The Odienné Project is underexplored and has multiple pipeline prospects with similar geochemical signatures to Iron Oxide Copper Gold (IOCG) and intrusive-related mineral systems with substantial upside potential.
Significant Intercepts from Diamond Drilling are listed in Table 1 and BBM Drill Collar Details are listed in Table 2 of the original release.
The technical and scientific information in this news release has been reviewed and approved for release by Andrew Chubb, the Company’s Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101.
Source: Awalé Resources
