AUPLATA : First french gold producer Auplata announces Groupe Atlantique takes stake in its subsidiary OMCI - Auplata and Groupe Atlantique enter into an agreement for the development of OMCI's mining activities - Listing plans for OMCI
Auplata (Alternext - FR0010397760 - ALAUP) , the first french gold producer, announces that Groupe Atlantique has taken a 50% stake in its ivorian subsidiary OMCI, by means of a reserved capital increase.
Created in 1988, Groupe Atlantique is a private group based in the Côte d'Ivoire. With assets worth more than 3 billion dollars in Western and Central Africa, its mission is to increase the economic and social development of the continent. Since 2001, Groupe Atlantique has demonstrated sustained growth in a wide array of activities in (mining, banking, telecommunications, insurance, agro-industry, aeronautics, IT engineering, etc.).
Along with this stake, Groupe Atlantique is also contributing to OMCI's mining portfolio with its mining assets in Cameroon. These assets are comprised of 184 extraction authorizations of 1 hectare each, some of which are already subject to gold mining activities, as well as an exploration permit for a total area of 500 square kilometers.
Development partnership between Groupe Atlantique and Auplata
As a complement to this capital transaction, Auplata and Groupe Atlantique have entered into a partnership agreement for the development of OMCI, according to which Groupe Atlantique will financially support OMCI's operational development.
The main objective of this agreement is the short-term start of operations of the Mount Goma mine site, a 445 square kilometer area in Western Côte d'Ivoire, through a program designed to integrate all local small-scale gold-mining activities. This program will be aligned with the sub-contracting arrangements developed and implemented by Auplata in French Guiana. OMCI will take charge of all current operations by deploying on-site mining and security teams and pursuing exploration activities to identify new potential mine sites.
Auplata will maintain exploration programs and geological studies on various mining permits, namely Adzopé, for which OMCI had previously entered into a partnership with Newmont Mining.
London Stock Exchange listing plan for OMCI
In addition to this capital transaction and the implementation of a dynamic mining asset development plan, Auplata and Groupe Atlantique are considering listing OMCI on the London Stock Exchange.
This listing would significantly increase OMCI's international footprint and help raise funds to accelerate development in Western Africa.
Jean-François Fourt, Auplata President and CEO and OMCI Chairman states:
« We are happy and quite proud to see Groupe Atlantique take a stake in OMCI for they are a robust industrial and financial partner, remarkably well established in Western Africa. Thanks to their local support, we will now be in a position to accelerate OMCI's development and promptly generate returns from our mining activities, while capitalizing on our full mining potential.
OMCI will benefit from a governance structure and a management team comprised of mining professionals with experience in the African continent. These professionals will be independent from Auplata to ensure that development is dynamic and completely autonomous from the company. Auplata's recent successful operations with Columbus Gold and NordGold are testament, once again, to the company's ability to create mining companies with a focus on developing their own financing, governance and management structures and independent market presence, while maintaining a significant stake in their capital. »
Kone Dossongui, Groupe Atlantique Chairmain and CEO declares:
« We are very confident that Auplata, with its strong business model and recent successes, will be able to develop our mining activities by providing guidance and implementing required policies, procedures and measurable targets. »
About Auplata
Auplata is the first French gold producer in French Guiana. In total, Auplata has mining permits and licenses covering over 700 sq km. Auplata follows an innovative business and financial strategy, aimed at developing and exploiting French Guiana's gold resources through close collaboration with local players. The company's aim is to offer a sustainable alternative for the French Guiana gold-mining industry.
Since June 2015, Auplata holds a stake in OMCI, an Ivorian mining company that owns two mining projects in Côte d'Ivoire as well as mining permits in Cameroon.
Since June 2011, Auplata is also the largest shareholder of Columbus Gold Corporation, a Canadian gold exploration company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange (Canada).
Auplata is listed on NYSE Alternext Paris by NYSE Euronext. Auplata's share capital is made up of 37,463,881 shares. ISIN: FR0010397760 – ALAUP ; ICB : 1777 – Gold Mining.
For more information about Auplata : www.auplata.fr .
Contacts :
ACTUS FINANCE
Mathieu Omnes - Investor Relations - +33 (0)1 53 67 36 92
Nicolas Bouchez - Media Relations - +33 (0)1 53 67 36 74
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Full and original press release in PDF:
http://www.actusnews.com/documents_communiques/ACTUS-0-40763-AUPLATA_PR_OMCI-GROUPE-ATLANTIQUE_20150721_EN.pdf