Avion gold looks to Burkina Faso for growth: CEO

Avion Gold has raised its resource estimate substantially at its project in Burkina Faso – boosting its global resources by 30 percent. The new estimate adds 1 million ounces of resource – bringing the Hounde project to 1.6 million ounces in resource.

John Begeman, president and CEO tells BNN he envisions Hounde producing 150,000 to 180,000 ounces per year and the earliest the project could be in production if it gets fast-tracked is late-2014 to 2015. “We see a good growth opportunity there. There is over a 4.6 kilometre long zone that we’ve only really got good numbers on 2.6 kilometres on.”

Burkina Faso has been coming on strong as a mining nation, Begeman says, with six producing mines there.

“They produce more than a million ounces of gold per year. And they’re growing. And it’s a reasonably good business climate in Burkina Faso.”