• PROJECTS AND EXPLORATION
• Location: Nigeria
• Phase: Exploration
• Resource: Iron Ore
Within governments Covid-19 guidelines, ASX listed Kogi Iron,
through its subsidiary KCM Mining, has continued with activities
at the Agbaja Cast Steel Project in Nigeria.
The company recently approved the excavation of a smallscale
trial iron mining pit about 30m in length, 30m wide
and approximately five metres deep. This pit will be located
at the site of a previous bulk iron ore sample (pit #6) used for
metallurgy and steel tests in 2018. The company expects work to
be completed towards the end of this month. A local Lokojabased
civil engineering company was awarded the contract to
ensure local content and mitigate Covid-19 risks.
According to Greg Boulton, chairman of Kogi Iron the trial pit and
stockpiles of overburden and iron ore will be used to support
reserve estimates and for ore characterisation tests, water studies,
building material and agriculture studies in the Feasibility Study.
“I am confident that Kogi Iron has taken appropriate measures
to weather the COVID-19 storm and is well-positioned to grow
our asset base and the business in Nigeria. It’s pleasing that our
Agbaja Cast Steel Project is receiving recognition and interest by
potential new ‘cornerstone shareholders’, says Boulton.
Kogi Iron
Kogi Iron MD David Turvey (centre); Alabi Samuel, KCM country manager
(left); and Sunday Awoyemi, project geologist (right).
The Agbaja Project is located on the Agbaja Plateau in Kogi
State, Nigeria, about 200km from the capital city, Abuja. The
Plateau hosts an extensive, shallow, flat-lying channel of iron
deposit (CID) and Kogi Iron has determined a Probable Ore
Reserve of 205 million tonnes at a grade of 45.7% iron (Fe),
estimated in accordance with the JORC (2012) code.
Agbaja is uniquely positioned proximal to existing, underutilised
infrastructure including road, river and power suitable to
facilitate a major cast steel project.
Since 2016, Kogi has advanced its intention to develop an
integrated steel plant utilising the leased iron ore deposit and
nearby coal and limestone sources. The results of a laboratory
scale test on the iron ore demonstrated that it could be
converted to a steel feedstock suitable for electric arc furnaces.
In November 2017, Kogi commenced a pilot plant test program on
a large bulk sample to demonstrate the process in a continuous
batch mode. Successful completion of this extensive test work
in September 2018 confirmed the feasibility of producing a
marketable cast steel product, together with the development of
a flowsheet for the processing of Agbaja iron ore into cast steel
suitable for billet making. Kogi Iron is progressing its Bankable
Feasibility Study to support financing for the Agbaja Project.
SD Capital and GKB Ventures were jointly engaged in October
2017 to secure debt funding for the project as well as equity
finance to complete the DFS and project financing. Most of the
debt funding is expected to come from Export Credit Agency
funds and a detailed program is underway to ensure agencies
are well aware of the project.
“ In November 2017 Kogi
commenced a pilot plant test
program on a large bulk sample.
Kogi Iron
Kogi Iron’s Alabi Samuel, KCM country manager, on site in Nigeria.
4 • African Mining •May 2020
www. africanmining.co.za