AGG Peer Group ComparisonsI've been tracking a number of AGG peer group companies. To be a peer, the company must be publicly traded, its main asset(s) must be located in Mali and the company must be at the exploration stage (ie no production from any source), that is to say these are companies that are earlier stage pure plays and have maximum upside potential on their share price by an order or magnitude given a favourable macro environment for price of gold and should they be successful in discovering meaningful ounces. Compass Gold (CVB), Oklo Resources (OKU), Desert Gold Ventures (DAU), Cora Gold (CORA) and RosCan Gold (ROS) all fit the peer company billing. To me (and as a shareholder I am biased), AGG is the best in class for the following reasons: all of the peers are in still in the process of drilling out their properties and none has yet to delivered a Resource Statement or Feasability Study except CORA at 265k oz. Inferred (not even M&I) and apparently Oklo and Dessert Gold are close to delivering a Resource, whereas Kobada has been drilled out over the years to the tune of 127km core drilled to date (yes that's right, 76 miles of core of which 30km ie 18 miles of historical core has been diamond drilling) and has already prepared both and a Resource Statement and Feasability Study which are in the course of re-rating both to a higher level of confidence and (I think it is safe to surmise based on the tone and tenor of the Phase 1 and Phase 2 press releases) ounces and net present value. All of the peers are years from being shovel ready i.e. fully permitted, whereas AGG is fully permitted. Except for Cora Gold, whose Scoping Study indicate an after-tax NPV USD 23MM at $1400 gold (ie it is a tiny project at this stage), AGG appears to represent the lowest capex requirement (which is critically important in these tumultuous financial times - mega projects (ie a couple of hundred million and more) are a lot riskier and harder to finance), though this is tough to tell because there is no or little information on this for the peers, but to me Oklo and RosCan (which occupy excellent geography near B2Gold's Fekola project (acquired from Papillion Resources in 2014 for USD 570MM) and have delivered excellent drilling results to date will be much higher grade / higher capex projects. Compass Gold is similar to AGG, coarse gold and lower grade, lots of artisanal activity, but much more earlier stage. Cora Gold is a lower grade / smaller ounce potential but is probably lining up for a tie-up with Hummingbird Resources due to their close proximity to each other, where Cora Gold will truck ore to Hummingbird to mill. In terms of management, Oklo and RosCan appear first rate and RosCan announced in January that Sir Sam Jonah joined a Chairman (he departed AGG's Board at around the same time, so interesting to watch), Compass Gold has some impressive senior IAM Gold alumni at the helm - they are probably headed for a tie-up with SEMAFO who just invested in their last private placement assuming good drilling results continue, Desert Gold Ventures has some Avion Gold folks behind it. AGG has Bharti and Forbes, and folks criticize them all you want for being promotional, making money for themselves through services agreements, bonuses and the like, but by way of just one example, in less than a year they have raised CAD 11MM for AGG on a non-brokered basis and probably saved AGG $600k - $700k in broker cash comp. not to mention broker warrants, they know how to market companies, they know West Africa well and have had success there in the past. With the permits in place and Phase 1 - Phase 2 drilling having started last September and now completed when gold is at all times highs in all major currencies except USD where it is at 7 years highs, AGG seems appears best in class of its peers and in a position to pounce (or be pounced upon) in the current highly accomodative environment for gold exploration juniors. Am I missing any other peers in southern Mali ? Are there any better ?