Meet the global gold explorer that controls a number of early-stage properties in Ontario in areas with active and historic mining activities, along with three projects in Ghana, West Africa.
Pelangio Exploration Inc. (
TSX-V.PX,
OTC: PGXPF,
Forum) is a Canadian junior gold exploration company. The principal business of the company is the acquisition, exploration, and development of mineral property interests in Canada and Ghana in West Africa. The company focuses on the acquisition and exploration of early-stage and undervalued exploration prospects located in historically-producing gold belts. In this exclusive CEO video Q&A, Stockhouse Media’s was joined by Pelangio’s President & CEO Ingrid Hibbard to get us up-to-date on this company that’s poised for “Success Through Exploration.”
(CLICK IMAGE TO PLAY VIDEO)
TRANSCRIPT BELOW:
SH1: To start off with, can you tell us a little bit about yourself and the history of the company?
IH: So, Pelangio has been around longer than I have. It actually started in 1937 and it's had a long and storied history. Most of that for the first part in Canada. In 1998, when the current management got involved, we saw an opportunity and hence why we talk about our ability to recognize undervalued opportunities. We saw an opportunity to acquire producing mines that was down from Placer Dome, the detour mine in Northern Ontario. It had a million-ounce resource on it and 52 square miles around it. It was what we thought was a no brainer, absolute great opportunity. Unfortunately, many people didn't recognize it for a long time. So one of the things we have learned through all of this is it's about people, it's about timing and it's about the project and all those three elements need to come together and it's about collaboration.
You'll see, that's a theme as we talk today. So we saw this opportunity to acquire this great project that for some reason Placer Dome had given up on and the mine was winding down with a million-ounce resource still in it and 52 square miles around it. So we were able with the help of Franco Nevada, who financed it for us at, about a $1.20 an ounce in the ground and over time with a great team, we re-envisioned it as a big pit. That project is now the second largest gold mine in Canada. As in the hands of Agnico. Along the way we brought in a development partner, we spun it out to detour gold run by Al Penton who carried the ball the next part of the way and drilled it out and built that mine.
So that old adage mines are made, not found? 100% and you have to have persistence and you have to have patience and you have to have the right time but for our shareholders, we spun it out and maintained 50% of Detour and then 90% of those shares went directly into our shareholders hands for many, many, many of our shareholders that was a hundred bagger. So you had to be patient but it was worth it. So as we were doing the deal with Detour Gold, we thought, gee, the that's a strategy that really works. I wonder if we could find another project like that. So we were casting around and that brought us to Africa. We were able to acquire what we call our Oubasi project 284 square kilometers adjacent to an on strike with the super giant of Ubasi mine.
The Oubasi mine is a mine that has been in production for over a hundred years. Produced 30 million ounces has another 30 million ounces in resources in reserves and Anglo Gold is spending $600 million right now, in a redevelopment plan and they say there's much more to be found there. So that was why were in Ghana, why we're in two jurisdictions because we feel like these kind of opportunities only come around once in a while and not only that, as we were working on Oubasi, another opportunity came up again, a hundred square kilometers on the very prolific Sefwi Belt and we very quickly there, making eight discoveries and have a resource on two of those of a half a million ounces, 300,000 ounces in the inferred category and 200,000 ounce in the indicated category. So that almost brings you up to speed.
The last thing that we did more recently is we had an opportunity to acquire a Canadian private prospect generator company with a portfolio of slightly smaller assets. They weren't hundred square kilometers but very strategically located in and around Timmins. So sort of back to our roots. So that's the story of why we're in two places. Both of these regions, Northern Ontario, the Timmins camper, the Kirkland light camp, and Ghana on the Ashanti Belt and the Sefwi Belt are historic gold producing areas. For example, Ghana is now Africa's largest gold producer, it's surpassed South Africa.
SH2: Can you update our investor audience and your Pelangio shareholders on any new company developments, especially in the wake of COVID-19 and now the Omicron variant?
IH: We're all really tired of being locked away but we have always had a remote work process. We have people in Ghana, we have people in Timmins. So we've been working like this all along. We just didn't realize that we were so far ahead of the curve for everybody else. So the rest of the world's really just caught up with us now and I always knew having a strong local team was important but Omicron and COVID has showed us just how important that is. So we really didn't miss a beat during that period. We were able to explore and make acquisitions. So, we did all of the early work for gallon to get it ready for drilling during COVID and we've drilled it. We were able to add onto our Oubasi property in Ghana with our Dankran acquisition and we did all of the soil work and an initial drill program all during COVID.
SH3: You currently have 100 drill-ready targets in Ghana’s Oubasi Mine located in the largest gold belts in West Africa. This may be news to many investors. Can you update us on the progress of the project?
IH: So it is. Oubasi itself is 284 square kilometers on strike with that super giant Oubasi mine and now with the Dankran acquisition, we've bolted on another 30 square kilometers. So we've brought the combined land package to over 300 square kilometers. The hundred targets that we're talking about are just on the Oubasi part, on the Dankran portion, more yet to be written there. So we are in the process now with a hundred targets, you can imagine one of the issues is going to be prioritizing that. So we've been using some AI and neural network work, as well as we're going to do some auger drilling to help us prioritize and rank those targets.
SH4: The company has reported that its plans to grow the current half-million-ounce gold resource at Manfo in Ghana. How so?
IH: So let me tell you a little bit about Manfo so we can put it into context. So it's a hundred square kilometer land package which we acquired several years ago and we very quickly on a nine-kilometer geochemical trend that we were looking at. We very quickly made eight discoveries along that trend and the resources on two of those primarily. Being quite close to each other a larger one, which is lower grade and a smaller one, which is much higher grade. So that is just one structure. There's a number of parallel structures because remember it's a hundred square kilometer land package. So we know that in and around the resource is open and we know that there's significant potential for future discovery. One of the things that we did just recently is we thought we would start off looking around the higher grade section and we had thought that it could have been closed off as a result of some work.
So what’s very common in Ghana, they talk about pearls on a string. So a series of deposits, so you have a deposit then another one, then another one. So that was the theory we were following. So we did one hole in the area of the existing resource to have better understanding of the orientation using oriented core and we did get results that exceeded results in the area. Then we did 175 meters step out and effectively discovered a brand-new load of mineralization. So we intersected over 3 grams over 12 meters and 6.85 grams over 3 meters. So proof already that there's opportunities to expand that resource and we started with the high-grade area.
SH5: You just launched a diamond drill program at your consistently-performing Gowan poly-metallic project in Timmins Ontario. Can you expand on this initiative for our investor audience?
IH: So we moved fairly quickly on that one too, although it was if you remember, I told you we had acquired a package of properties, this was one of them and being careful with our funds, we waited to have the V a flown until the plane was in the neighborhood. So we wouldn't have to pay the costs of all of the mobilization. So it happened when it happened and they flew a V a was flown and identified a couple of very, very interesting anomalies. So several targets, we decided to focus on two of those right now. we did ground IP on them and so one is a VMS style target with some historical copper numbers from drilling very near surface back in the seventies and the second is a nickel copper prospect. So we have drilled two with other anomalies yet to be followed up but we've drilled two. We finished that program and we're now awaiting assays.
SH6: You’ve also entered into a $2 million earn-in option on Gowan Project. Can you walk us through the deal and what it means for shareholders and potential investors?
IH: Well, the Canadian company that we bought really was a prospect generator. So we've continued that model a little bit And if you remember, I said that collaboration is a big part of our theme whether it's Franco helping us finance or Detour taking at the next stage or Kirkland Lake and Agnico taking the projects even further. So collaboration is a big part of the story. So a two-million-dollar deal at Gallon when we haven't even drilled it yet was a pretty good deal and more importantly were the people. So Robert Hershberg and SATU Ram are very prominent people in the industry. They know base metals and gold well so that they will need to fund one and a half million and pay us half a million of which we've already received 300 in order to earn a 50% interest. So by bringing in collaborators on some of them that's how we are able to have access to a number of project that are being worked simultaneously and some of them with other people's money.
SH7: The company looks set for strong growth in 2022. How are you placed to expand operations to meet demand?
IH: So, we have always operated basically with contractors, so our team expands and contracts as necessary, but I must say I'm just so pleased to have the team that I do. So Kevin Filo, who handles our operations in Canada and Kevin Thomson, who oversees in Ghana and Sam Torkornoo who's on the ground in Ghana. We're able to expand and contract as is necessary. So we don't anticipate any problem at all meeting the needs but I do recognize that one of the biggest assets in mining right now is people and I can't say enough about the people that we have in Pelangio.
SH8: For company shareholders and potential investors, what kind of long-term development and progress can we expect at your gold projects in Ghana and Northern Ontario?
IH: Well, I'm really glad you say long term because investors have to understand mining is not a short-term endeavor. The good news is that there's the opportunity for a lot of catalysts along the way. So long term we're looking at having Manfo drilled out and significantly bigger. We're looking at having those hundred targets drilled out but that that's going to take a while. So in the nearer term, we're going to be focusing first at Manfo because given what we think is an improving gold market and particularly we're seeing that per perhaps soon the recognition of juniors is going to come to the market because so far what recognition there has been, has primarily focused on the majors. So we're thinking that our timing is very good to be looking at drilling out and adding ounces now. So that's going to be our initial focus but at the same time, we will be doing a little bit of work. Like we are at Gallon now, which will be funded by others. We also did a farm out of a project in the Red Lake area with First mining and that's $5 million deal. So there should be work coming from them as along the way as a catalyst and we'll be doing some work on prioritizing our hundred targets at Oubasi.
SH9: Simply put, what separates Pelangio from the competition and makes your business model unique?
IH: Well experience and a track record of a proven strategy that has worked in the past that has provided our shareholders with a wonderful return and that has created job opportunities in Northern Ontario.
SH10: I have to mention your stock has been on a bit of a roller coaster ride this past year. What can you tell our investor audience regarding the current valuation of your stock and why you think it’s a good buy right now?
IH: Well, just like Pelangio focuses on underrecognized opportunities. I think investors need to focus on underrecognized opportunities and I think Pelangio with a half a million-ounce resource with the potential to grow and that being the focus in the near term, plus all of the other assets that we have. The Oubasi asset, which I always had a liken to because I grew up in Timmins. So I always liked the Oubasi asset too. It's like having the entire Timmins cab back in 1910, say it's a tremendous opportunity. So I think why we are undervalued is perhaps COVID had people sitting at home a little bit and with our activities in two countries, maybe we haven't been telling the story well enough. So I'm hoping that this will be an opportunity for people to get a better understanding of just all the wonderful assets we have and the great team. So basically, it's people, it's projects, it's timing,
SH11: What’s the long-term strategy for the company moving forward and what should retail and institutional investors be looking out for?
IH: Well, it is a combination but primarily we know everybody wants drill results. So we have 10,000 meters of drilling planned for this year. So that should be the biggest catalyst we've already made a start at that with Gallon, we'll be moving to Manfo and perhaps doing some auger drilling over at Oubasi and at Manfo. So I expect a lot of activity in 2022. I'm really excited about where it's going to be taking us and particularly building on just a little success just gives everybody such incentives. So that discovery of the new load at mineralization at Manfo was just a little wind in our sales.
SH12: Ingrid, as I’m sure you’re very well aware, there aren’t many female leaders in the traditionally male-dominated metals & mining industry. What unique insight, knowledge, and experience do you bring to the space?
IH: Yes, there's not a lot of women and I had a unique opportunity. So I did, as I said, I grew up in Timmons. So everyone talks about Timmins as being a mining town but it's really an exploration town and my parents ran an exploration company. My father was a prospector. He had a small plane that he would fly in. That was a huge advantage when there were staking rushes and I can distinctly remember flying with him into little lakes, well beyond where there's any roads. I always say I grew up coloring maps when other kids were coloring colouring books. So it gave me a different view and because my mother worked in the industry, it never even occurred to me that it would be unusual for a woman to be in the industry.
I have loved almost every second of it that mining people are builders and they’re adventurous people. They go to new places, they make discoveries and so long as you share that same passion, I don't think anyone really cares what gender you are. It's about building and growing and having that experience and I did go to law school afterwards. So I did go to law school and then I practiced and I had clients from individual prospectors because obviously that was my first love to major Canadian mining companies before taking over a CEO of Pelangio and then with the Pelangio experience and Detour and sitting on the Board of Detour Lakeshore and Kirkland Lake, I have seen the industry from the bush to the boardroom. That is something that I think a lot of people cannot say they've seen in the same way I have. I think it gives us a view and now I've seen firsthand, for example, Detour now has 1100 employees, 20% of the, our first nations and Pelangio played a big part in having that re-envisioned and so I seen firsthand what mining can do in terms of wealth generation and the creation of opportunity for people.
SH13: Can you tell our audience a little bit about your corporate management and board teams, along with the experience and innovative ideas they bring to the gold exploration space?
IH: So let me start with our board. We have a strong technical representation on our board. So Kevin Thomson is on our board. He spent 25 years working in West Africa. He lived there for 12 years, so he worked both with Newmont and Perseus. He handled regional exploration for Newmont. So it's given him an overview of all of West Africa and he's seen innovation in exploration techniques, hence the use of artificial intelligence. Also on our board is David Mosher, who is a geologist but has also run mining company and Al Gourley who runs the office for Fasken’s in London but really focuses on mining. JC St-Amour, who also is a geologist but comes with corporate finance experience. So a really strong team with lots of experience in the industry, both in Canada and internationally and our management team, Kevin Thomson does head up our exploration but on the ground in Ghana, we have Sam Torkornoo who has a geological engineering degree and an MBA from Freiberg Germany ran his own consulting company.
It was he who actually brought us the Manfo opportunity, understanding some of the community issues. So a strong community relations bent and because we were small and nimble, we were able to address some of the concerns of the community and be able to acquire the property and get working on it. In Canada, Kevin Filo handles our Canadian exploration and Kevin was working with Pelangio back in the day when we acquired the mine from Placer and in terms of innovation re-looking at the Placer, at the Detour mine as an open pit was a major innovation that really changed the whole story.
SH14: And finally, Ingrid, if there’s anything I’ve overlooked please feel free to elaborate.
IH: No, I don't think so. Except I do want to sum up, as I've said over and over and over again, it really is about the team, the people, and the experience. A good team is able to identify under recognized opportunities and we think we're particularly good at that with our Manfo and a Oubasi projects and our portfolio Canadian projects and we really have a sense of what mining can do in terms of adding value to communities and creating wealth and prosperity.
For regular updates, visit
pelangio.com.
FULL DISCLOSURE: This is a paid article produced by Stockhouse Publishing.