The information contained within this announcement is deemed to constitute inside information as stipulated under the retained EU law version of the Market Abuse Regulation (EU) No. 596/2014 (the "UK MAR") which is part of UK law by virtue of the European Union (Withdrawal) Act 2018. The information is disclosed in accordance with the Company's obligations under Article 17 of the UK MAR.Upon the publication of this announcement, this inside information is now considered to be in the public domain.
Oriole Resources PLC
(“Oriole Resources” or the “Company”)
Substantial Maiden Mineral Resource Estimate at the Wapouzé Limestone Project
Oriole Resources (AIM: ORR), the AIM quoted exploration and development company focused on Central and West Africa, is pleased to announce the maiden Mineral Resource Estimate (“MRE”) for metamorphosed limestone (“marble”) at its 85%-owned Wapouzé project (“Wapouzé” or the “Project”) in north-eastern Cameroon.
Highlights
·Maiden JORC Inferred MRE for the Project of 32.2Mt, with weighted average grades of 50.33wt% CaO, 1.13wt% MgO and 6.06wt% SiO₂ indicating the potential to support a multi-decade limestone mining operation.
·The MRE, which used a 42wt% CaO lower grade cut-off, has defined six separate marble domains (M1-6) across the north-eastern part of the Wapouzé licence, covering a cumulative 2.6km strike length.
·Four pit shells that demonstrate reasonable prospects for eventual economic extraction (“RPEE”) have been defined:
oPit 1 (comprising domains M1 and M2) delivers the best quality material and accounts for around one third of the Resource.
oAt a potential production rate of around 400ktpa, Pit 1 alone contains an equivalent to 27.5 years of marble feed.
·Outside of the MRE, an additional JORC Exploration Target has been estimated for between 5.5 and 14.0Mt, with average grades between 48 and 53wt% CaO and between 0.8 and 1.4wt% MgO[1].
·A local level Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (“ESIA”) is currently underway to support the submission of an Exploitation Licence Application (“ELA”) in Q4-2026.
·The Company will now also prepare a preliminary economic assessment (“PEA”) and is ultimately looking to achieve a royalty-based income that could be used as additional funding for Oriole's gold-focused exploration work in Cameroon.
Chief Executive Officer of Oriole Resources, Martin Rosser, said: “We are delighted with the Wapouzé maiden MRE as it shows that the Project has excellent potential for supporting a multi-decade limestone quarrying operation.Using an assumed production rate of 400ktpa of limestone, we believe that, subject to the preparation of a PEA, the Project has the potential for an attractive economic return.
“It is envisaged that the limestone product would be predominantly used as a key ingredient in making valuable cement in Cameroon and neighbouring Chad.However, there are other possible uses for the limestone, including as chemical lime for use in gold ore processing and several chemical industry processes.Regarding the latter, some of the drilling results show >54%wt CaO, which is very pure and could be used to make chemical grade calcium carbonate. This material may, subject to testing of its brightness (or whiteness), be suitable for use in the mineral filler market for paint, paper, plastics etc.
“Based on the magnitude of the maiden MRE, we are hopeful that, in parallel with this underwriting the submission of an Exploitation Licence Application in this quarter, we have significantly enhanced the prospects of attracting an industry expert partner for the Project.”

Figure 1. Wapouzé MRE contained within four RPEE pit shells over satellite imagery
Further Details
The Wapouzé Project is in north-eastern Cameroon, approximately 100km NE of Garoua and 20km north of the Company's Bibemi gold project.Wapouzé was initially an early-stage gold exploration project but the Project was deemed less prospective for gold than Bibemi.However, the Company noted the presence of large quantities of carbonate rock (predominantly marble) and applied for a change in commodity to marble, which was granted in 2022.
Since the change in commodity, a number of surface exploration programmes have focused on the potential high-grade marble (typically >50% CaO with low magnesium and silica) material that would make it potentially suitable for use in the cement industry (see announcement dated 21 April 2026).
In September 2026, the Company published results from its 1,053.80m (21 holes) maiden diamond drilling programme that confirmed substantial downhole widths of high-quality marble, including: 53.50m at an average of 53.88wt% CaO and 0.88wt% MgO from 1.30m depth in WPDD012; and 37.15m at an average of 53.42wt% CaO and 0.82wt% MgO from 10.95m depth in WPDD014 (see announcement dated 24 September 2026). The majority of holes returned high-quality marble (>50wt% CaO and <2% MgO) over more than 50% of their length.
The Company today reports a maiden JORC Inferred MRE, contained with six marble domains (M1-6), of 32.2Mt with weighted average grades of 50.33wt% CaO, 1.13wt% MgO and 6.06wt% SiO₂ (Table 1). The MRE was predominantly defined from geological and geochemical data acquired during the maiden drilling programme, together with results of a recently completed resistivity survey.
Table 1. JORC Inferred Mineral Resource Estimate for the six marble domains identified at Wapouzé
|
Marble Domain |
JORC Classification |
Mass |
Average Value | ||||||||||||
|
CaO |
Al2O3 |
BaO |
Cr2O3 |
Fe2O3 |
K2O |
LOI |
MgO |
MnO |
Na2O |
P2O5 |
SiO2 |
TiO2 | |||
|
t |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% |
wt% | ||
|
M1 |
Inferred |
7,900,000 |
52.57 |
0.94 |
0.000 |
0.00 |
0.67 |
0.14 |
40.88 |
1.02 |
0.01 |
0.16 |
0.06 |
3.65 |
0.08 |
|
M2 |
Inferred |
3,100,000 |
52.96 |
0.85 |
- |
0.00 |
0.49 |
0.10 |
41.35 |
0.85 |
0.01 |
0.23 |
0.07 |
3.20 |
0.06 |
|
M3 |
Inferred |
12,100,000 |
49.44 |
1.87 |
0.002 |
0.00 |
1.28 |
0.21 |
38.36 |
1.24 |
0.03 |
0.39 |
0.10 |
7.20 |
0.16 |
|
M4 |
Inferred |
1,400,000 |
48.78 |
1.81 |
0.002 |
0.00 |
1.26 |
0.27 |
38.24 |
1.01 |
0.04 |
0.32 |
0.09 |
8.22 |
0.15 |
|
M5 |
Inferred |
300,000 |
46.03 |
2.42 |
0.002 |
0.01 |
2.06 |
0.34 |
36.77 |
1.89 |
0.04 |
0.42 |
0.11 |
10.07 |
0.25 |
|
M6 |
Inferred |
7,300,000 |
48.74 |
1.73 |
0.003 |
0.00 |
1.34 |
0.27 |
38.99 |
1.21 |
0.04 |
0.31 |
0.12 |
7.44 |
0.17 |
|
Total |
Inferred |
32,200,000 |
50.33 |
1.51 |
0.001 |
0.00 |
1.07 |
0.20 |
39.39 |
1.13 |
0.02 |
0.30 |
0.09 |
6.06 |
0.13 |
Notes and JORC Cautionary Statement:
The marble domains were constrained using preliminary open-pit optimisation using a range of parameters, including a limestone selling price of US$13/t, US$0.5/t selling cost, US$2/t mining cost, US$3.5/t processing cost, 5% mining dilution, 95% mining recovery, 98% processing recovery and 45 degree pit slopes.This enabled the definition of four open-pit RPEE pit shells (Pit 1 – 4), with Pit 1 (covering domains M1 and M2) comprising approximately one third of the Resource, contributing 11Mt at an average grade of 52.68wt% CaO and 0.97wt% MgO.
The cumulative strike length of marble covered by all four pits is approximately 2.6km.At a production rate of around 400ktpa, Pit 1 alone contains roughly 27.5 years of marble feed.

Figure 2. 3D Isometric view of Pit 1 (M1, M2) and Pit 2 (M3) marble domain block models with downhole CaO (wt%) data, and two RPEE pit shells targeting the domains. Viewing ~NE.
The Mineral Resource is entirely contained within the Wapouzé licence boundary. A minor portion of the preliminary RPEE pit shell associated with Pit 1 extends beyond the licence boundary (Fig. 1); however, no Mineral Resource is reported outside the licence area. This is not considered material to the reported Mineral Resource Estimate. Future mine planning and optimisation will be constrained to the applicable licence boundary.
Outside of the MRE, Forge has also defined a JORC Exploration Target* of between 5.50 to 14.0Mt with average CaO grades between 48 and 53wt%, and MgO grades between 0.8 and 1.4wt% (Table 2, Fig 3). This has been defined as areas of mapped marble occurrences outside of the MRE, where there is surface rock chip sampling and portable XRF data but no drilling.The Exploration Target has been projected to vertical depths of 40m and 100m as the lower and upper bounds.
Table 2. JORC Exploration Target* for the material with mapped outcrop and rock chip data that sits outside of the MRE
|
Exploration Target |
Tonnage (Mt) |
CaO (%) |
MgO (%) |
|
Lower Case |
5.5 |
48–53 |
0.8–1.4 |
|
Upper Case |
14.0 |
48–53 |
0.8–1.4 |
*The potential quality and grade of the Exploration Target are conceptual in nature. There has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource, and there is no certainty that further exploration work will result in the determination of a Mineral Resource.
Notes and JORC Cautionary Statement

Figure 3. 2D view of the Exploration Targets for Wapouzé and their spatial relationship with rock-chip sampling data and the MRE pit shells
The Company is also undertaking a local-level ESIA for Wapouzé which, once completed, will form part of an ELA for the Project.The ELA, which is expected to be for a simple quarrying operation for the extraction of the marble, is targeted for submission in Q4-2026.
Commercially, a significant limestone deposit at Wapouzé could be highly suitable for use within Cameroon's cement industry, which is believed to be worth several hundred million pounds per year, largely supported by expensive imports of required clinker material.The Company believes that there is a significant demand for cement (for concrete) within Cameroon and neighbouring Chad (with its capital, N'Djamena, approximately 250km NNE of Wapouzé). Furthermore, Cameroon has seen substantial foreign investment made into expanding its cement manufacturing capacity, with neighbouring plants to Wapouzé producing cement from similar material, and the government is keen to see its reliance on imported clinker reduce significantly.
The Company also recognises that crushed marble products of specific characteristics can also be used in other industrial processes outside of clinker/cement production. For example, material with a high CaO (>54wt%) should qualify as chemical lime, which is a relatively valuable commodity and used in gold ore processing, but also in many chemical industry processes.
Oriole Resources is continuing its discussions with potential industry partners that could advance Wapouzé towards development and exploitation on an expedited basis.The Company is ultimately looking to achieve royalty-based income from a commercial scale quarrying operation, likely to be based upon the volume of material extracted, which would provide valuable in-country revenue that could be used additional funding for its gold exploration work in Cameroon.
For further information on Wapouzé, including maps and a JORC Table 1, please seethe following page of the Company's websitehttps://orioleresources.com/projects/wapouze/.
Enquiries:
|
Oriole Resources Plc |
Tel: +44 (0)23 8065 1649 |
|
Martin Rosser/Bob Smeeton/Claire Bay |
|
|
Strand Hanson Limited(Nomad) |
Tel: +44 (0)20 7409 3494 |
|
Christopher Raggett/James Spinney/Edward Foulkes |
|
|
Zeus Capital Limited(Broker) |
Tel: +44 (0)20 3829 5000 |
|
Simon Johnson/James Bavister |
|
|
IFC Advisory Ltd(Financial IR & PR) |
Tel: +44 (0)20 3934 6632 |
|
Tim Metcalfe/Graham Herring/Florence Staton |
Glossary and Abbreviation
|
CaO |
Calcium oxide (commonly called lime) |
|
Clinker |
A solid lumpy material output from a cement kiln produced by firing a raw mix at 1450°C composed principally of limestone or marble with silico-alumina and iron material (clays, sand, schists etc.).Clinker is inert for transport or storage but once ground to a fine powder with a small proportion of gypsum becomes Ordinary Portland cement (OPC) |
|
Company |
Oriole Resources PLC |
|
ELA |
Exploitation Licence Application |
|
ESIA |
Environmental and Social Impact Assessment |
|
Exploration Target |
An estimate of the exploration potential of a mineral deposit, expressed as a range of tonnes and grades, where there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource |
|
Forge |
Forge International Limited |
|
g/t |
Grammes per tonne |
|
JORC |
Joint Ore Reserves Committee |
|
JORC Code |
2012 Edition of the Australasian Code for Reporting of Exploration Results, Mineral Resources and Ore Reserves |
|
km |
Kilometre |
|
m |
Metres |
|
MgO |
Magnesium oxide |
|
MRE |
Mineral Resource Estimate |
|
Oriole Resources |
Oriole Resources PLC |
|
QAQC |
Quality Assurance Quality Control |
|
RPEE |
Reasonable prospects for eventual extraction |
|
SiO2 |
Silicon dioxide, or ‘silica’ |
|
Wapouzé |
Wapouzé limestone project in northern Cameroon |
|
wt% |
Weight percent is a way to measure the concentration of a mixture or solution by comparing the mass of one component to the total mass of the entire mixture |
|
XRF |
X-ray fluorescence, an analytical technique used to determine the elemental composition of a material |
Notes to Editors
Oriole Resources PLC is an AIM-quoted gold exploration and development company, with projects in Central and West Africa. It is currently focused on projects in Cameroon.
At its district scale Central Licence Package (CLP) in Cameroon, the Company has identified multi-kilometre long gold anomalies, including at its flagship Mbe project. At Mbe, the Company has published a global JORC Inferred MRE of 1.66Moz contained gold at MB01, consisting of 1.30Moz at 1.01g/t Au for the MB01-S deposit, and 360koz at 1.05g/t Au for the MB01-N deposit. Following the completion of the MB01-N drilling programme, and by meeting various financial commitments, BCM International (“BCM”) has earned a 50% interest in the Mbe project, and Oriole has recently completed a corporate restructuring to confirm the Company's and BCM's respective 50% interest in Mbe. Drafting of a JV partnership agreement is nearing completion.
The Company has also reported a Resource of 460,000oz contained gold at 2.06g/t Au in the JORC Indicated and Inferred categories at its 50% owned Bibemi project in Cameroon, where it has applied for an Exploitation Licence. In November 2025, BCM completed its earn-in to give it a 50% interest in Bibemi by meeting certain payment conditions, including spending US$4 million on exploration.
At its 85%-owned Wapouzé limestone project in north-eastern Cameroon, the Company has recently published a maiden JORC Inferred Resource of 32.2Mt with weighted average grades of 50.33wt% CaO, 1.13wt% MgO and 6.06wt% SiO₂.Outside of the MRE, an Exploration Target of between 5.5 and 14.0Mt of marble with weighted average grades of between 48 and 53wt% CaO and 0.8 and 1.4wt% MgO.An ESIA is currently underway to support the submission of an Exploitation Licence Application later this year.
At the Senala gold project in Senegal, AGEM Senegal Exploration Suarl (“AGEM”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Managem Group, has completed a six-year earn-in to acquire an approximate 59% beneficial interest in the Senala Exploration Licence by spending US$5.8 million. The Company has reported a Resource of 155,000oz contained gold at 1.26g/t Au (using a gold price of US$1,800/oz) in the JORC Inferred category for the Faré South prospect, and an additional, complementary Exploration Target range of 17Mt to 24Mt at a grade of 0.69g/t to 0.84g/t Au for 380,000oz to 650,000oz contained gold for all prospects at Senala. Best results to date include 20.00m grading 31.13 g/t Au including 10.00m grading 60.98 g/t Au from RC drilling and 59.60m grading 2.20 g/t Au from diamond drilling. A JV agreement was signed in July 2026 with a US$2 million work programme planned for the current field season.
The Company also has several interests in companies operating in East Africa and Turkey that could give future cash payments.
For further information please visitwww.orioleresources.com, @OrioleResources on X
[1] The potential quantity and grade of the Exploration Target is conceptual in nature.In these areas, there has been insufficient exploration to estimate a Mineral Resource and it is uncertain if further exploration will result in the estimation of a Mineral Resource.