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Sama Resources Inc. Provides Initial Assay Results from the 2026 Exploration Program At the Samapleu Nickel-Copper Project
Sama Resources Inc. together with its joint venture partner Ivanhoe Electric Inc. provided an update on the 2026 exploration program at the polymetallic Samapleu Nickel-Copper Project in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa including the results from the initial assays received from drilling to date, which demonstrate new areas of polymetallic mineralization. The 2026 exploration program was initially designed for the discovery of new high-grade polymetallic mineralization to show the Project’s district-scale potential. The program will now be expanded to also target an initial resource declaration at the Yepleu Prospect in the south of the Project area, where shallow polymetallic mineralization is present, as well as an updated mineral resource estimate at the Samapleu SW Extension Deposit. The goal is to declare the first Project-wide global mineral resource estimate from three distinct areas within the Project. The Project currently includes the polymetallic Samapleu and Grata Deposits, which were the focus of the 2024 Preliminary Economic Assessment. Nearly 2,000 meters of drilling across 5 holes have been completed so far and mineralized ultramafic of the host-rock Yacouba Complex, has been intersected at all three previously untested targets (Glanle, Yorodougou and Zoupleu), further supporting the Project's district-scale potential. Mineralization is characterized by broad intervals of minor disseminated iron, nickel, and copper sulfides, with local and narrow zones of higher abundance. Minor disseminated polymetallic sulfide mineralization in the host ultramafic is similar to the low-grade base-metal anomalous halo surrounding the main Samapleu Main deposit and implies the target area remains prospective potential for similar discoveries. Future exploration will target higher-grade domains of the mineralized system, using gravity and electromagnetic data. The first drill hole for which assays have been received is drill hole ZP-01 at the Zoupleu Prospect, approximately 13 kilometers southwest of the 2024 Preliminary Economic Assessment Area. Drilling intersected more than 100 meters of the host ultramafics and 23.2 meters of combined mineralized material, including 6.3 meters grading 0.13% Ni, 0.13% Cu, 0.01% Co and 0.05 g/t Pt from 116.8 meters depth. Assays from four further drill holes are pending. The 2026 exploration program is approximately 50% complete with 1,997 meters of regional exploration drilling completed at the Glanle, Zoupleu, and Yorodougou Prospects representing 40% of the exploration drilling planned for 2026. The Project includes 20 high-priority, electromagnetic targets with comparable features and scale as the existing Samapleu and Grata Deposits, distributed throughout the 879 km² land package (including the former PR 300 area which is currently under renewal process). Twelve square kilometers of ground gravity surveying completed over six high-priority electromagnetic targets have also been completed to date. Further detailed ground-gravity surveying is ongoing and is being completed over electromagnetic anomalies. Coincident electromagnetic and gravity anomalies are interpreted to characterize mineralized ultramafics, considered for future exploration drilling. So far, coincident gravity and electromagnetic anomalies have been identified at the Glanle, Zoupleu, Yorodogou, and Mossikro Prospects, and the SW1/SW2 Target. Gravity surveying is ongoing at the Bounta Prospect and planned for additional targets in the northeastern and eastern part of the Project. To support the goal of completing a first Project-wide Mineral Resource Estimate: 2,000 meters of resource delineation drilling is now planned to support an initial mineral resource estimate at the Yepleu Prospect; and 1,000 meters of resource expansion drilling outside the existing mineral resource estimate at the Samapleu SW Extension Deposit is planned. This drilling is anticipated to be completed in Third Quarter 2026. The successful declaration of new mineral resources would be included in the first Project-wide mineral resource estimate which would also include current updates to the 2024 mineral resource estimates at the Samapleu Main, Samapleu Extension, Samapleu SW Extension, and Grata Deposits. BBA International Inc. has been engaged to prepare the initial mineral resource estimate for the Yepleu Prospect, and to provide an updated mineral resource estimate of the existing mineral resources that support the 2024 Preliminary Economic Assessment Area. This would incorporate new drilling results and be based on current commodity prices. The Yepleu Prospect, approximately 25 kilometers south of the 2024 Preliminary Economic Assessment Area, was discovered in 2013, and is characterized by shallow, bulk-tonnage, and polymetallic mineralization, like the Samapleu Main deposit. Highlight intercepts from past exploration include 39 meters grading 0.25% Ni, 0.13% Cu, 0.01% Co, 0.07 g/t Pd, 0.03 g/t Pt, and 0.03 g/t Au from 20 meters depth. The 2,000 meters of drilling planned for this year will be used to fill gaps to the spacing required for mineral resource estimating, expand the mineralization along strike and to depth. At the Samapleu SW Extension Deposit, within the 2024 Preliminary Economic Assessment Area, plate modelling of downhole electromagnetic results has been integrated with results of this year’s detailed ground gravity surveying and have identified nearby targets outside the existing mineral resource estimate. A program of 1,000 meters will target expansion potential of the deposit, and will follow up on results from the 2025 program, which included 99.5 meters grading 0.23% Ni, 0.16% Cu, 0.02% Co, 0.18 g/t Pd, 0.05 g/t Pt, and 0.02 g/t Au and 81.2 meters grading 0.26% Ni, 0.18% Cu, 0.01% Co, 0.33 g/t Pd, 0.14 g/t Pt, and 0.03 g/t Au. Core logging and sampling were performed at Sama’s field facilities. Sample preparations are conducted at the Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratory in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Sample pulps will be delivered to Activation Laboratories Ltd, Ancaster and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, for assaying. All samples are assayed for Ni, Cu, Co, Fe, S, Pt, Pd and Au using sodium peroxide fusion ICP for the first five elements and by Fire Assay ICPOES for the last three. A technical report entitled “NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Samapleu and Grata Deposits Project” with an effective date of March 21, 2024 with respect to the Samapleu-Grata Nickel-Copper Project was prepared under National Instrument 43-101 and filed on May 3, 2024.
