Exploration by Randgold Resources, which owns and operates the Tongon gold mine in Côte d’Ivoire, continues to highlight exciting possibilities for further investment in the country, chief executive Mark Bristow said here today.

After a slow start to 2016, the Kibali gold mine is picking up speed, with the substantial performance improvement forecast for the second half of the year already manifesting itself, Randgold Resources chief executive Mark Bristow said here today.

Randgold’s mines in Mali annually accounted for between 7% and 11% of the country’s GDP, with Loulo having already contributed $2.3 billion to the country’s economy.

Randgold Resources’ Tongon mine has completed the final phase of its extensive crusher expansion and mill circuit upgrade project.

Speaking at a regular briefing, Bristow said that, as anticipated, the complexity of dealing with multiple ore types from different sources had affected throughput, recovery and grade in the first half of the year.

Randgold Resources chief executive Mark Bristow’s fundraising motorbike safari from the east to west across mid-Africa has so far raised more than $2 million, with a little under half way to go to the end.

Randgold Resources chief executive Mark Bristow is on a fund-raising motorbike safari, which will take him from east to west across mid-Africa.

Kinshasa, the Kibali gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo was the star performer in Randgold’s portfolio of operations in 2015, exceeding its target by 7% to contribute 642 720 ounces to the group’s record production for the year.

Randgold Resources’ annual resource and reserve declaration, shows attributable measured and indicated resources steady at 21.1 million ounces while inferred resources are marginally up to 6.7 million ounces.

The Kibali gold mine in the Democratic Republic of Congo continues to deliver on all aspects of its business plan and is likely to exceed its 2015 production target of 600 000 ounces, Mark Bristow, chief executive of operator Randgold Resources, said today.

Randgold Resources chief executive Mark Bristow said the mine’s expansion and upgrade projects had now been completed.

Randgold Resources has expanded its operations in Congo following the success of the Kibali gold mine, which will lead to the miner exceeding its full year production guidance for the mine in 2015.