Avanti doubles active drill fleet at Misisi
Expanded drilling capacity positions the Company to simultaneously advance resource expansion, resource conversion and regional discovery across the 55 km Kibara Gold Belt while first 2026 assays are expected in the coming weeks. Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - July 15, 2026) - Avanti Gold Corp. (CSE: AGC) (FSE: X370) (OTCQB: AVTGF) (" Avanti " or the " Company ") is pleased to announce a significant acceleration of exploration activities at its flagship Misisi Gold Project ("The Project" ) in the Democratic Republic of Congo ( "DRC" ) through the expansion of its active drilling fleet from two to four rigs immediately, with six rigs expected to be operating by the end of July. The expanded fleet materially increases the Company's drilling capacity as it advances the largest exploration program in the history of the project, designed to grow and upgrade the existing 3.11 Moz NI 43-101 Inferred Mineral Resource while systematically testing multiple high-priority targets along the 55-kilometre Kibara Gold Belt.
HIGHLIGHTS Active drill fleet doubles from two to four rigs immediately, increasing to six rigs by month-end. Expanded fleet enables simultaneous execution of Phase 1 resource growth drilling and Phase 2 regional exploration. One newly mobilized Reverse Circulation ( "RC" ) drill rig will be dedicated to pre-collaring, improving drilling productivity, increasing daily metreage and reducing overall drilling costs.
First batches of 2026 drill core have been submitted to SGS Laboratories in Mwanza, Tanzania, with initial assay results expected in the coming weeks. 2026 program represents more than twice the historical drilling completed at The Project and is designed to expand and upgrade the existing 3.11 Moz Inferred Mineral Resource while testing new discoveries across the 55 km Kibara Gold Belt. FLEET EXPANSION AND RC PRE-COLLARING STRATEGY As previously announced on April 23, 2026, the Company commenced its 42,000-metre 2026 exploration program with two diamond drill rigs active on site. Today's announcement represents the next step in the planned ramp-up of the Company's drilling capacity at The Project.
The newly mobilized RC rig will play a critical operational role by pre-collaring drill holes through the upper, predominantly weathered portions of each drill target, allowing the diamond drill rigs to focus exclusively on core drilling through the mineralized zones. This approach is expected to materially improve drilling efficiency, increase daily meterage productivity, reduce overall drilling unit costs, and accelerate completion of the Phase 1 program. The integration of RC pre-collaring with diamond core drilling is a proven operational approach widely used across West and Central African gold exploration programs, and its adoption at Misisi reflects the Company's commitment to maximizing drilling productivity.
SIX-RIG FLEET BY END OF JULY 2026 & PHASE 2 COMMENCEMENT In addition to the four rigs now active on site, a further two drill rigs are currently being mobilized and are expected to arrive at The Project site, by end of July. Upon their arrival, the total active fleet will increase to six rigs - the largest drilling capacity ever deployed at The Project - supporting the simultaneous completion of Phase 1 and the planned commencement of Phase 2. As outlined in the Company's April 23, 2026 ,news release, Phase 2 will comprise approximately 27,000 metres of drilling across Akyanga and four additional high-priority targets - Ngalula, Lubitchako, Tulonge, and Kilombwe - along the broader 55-kilometre Kibara Gold Belt.
Phase 2 drilling at Akyanga will focus on in-fill drilling designed to convert Inferred resources to Indicated status, supporting the advancement toward a Preliminary Economic Assessment ("PEA") anticipated in 2027. PHASE 1 ASSAY RESULTS IMMINENT Phase 1 drilling by the first two diamond rigs has continued to generate drill core samples that are being systematically logged, sampled, and submitted for assay. A first batch of Phase 1 core samples has been shipped to SGS Laboratories in Mwanza, Tanzania for analysis.
Assay results are expected imminently and will be released as they become available. The historical intercepts announced on March 2, 2026which included 12.7 metres at 4.60 g/t Au, 3.5 metres at 6.12 g/t Au, and 15.1 metres at 2.31 g/t Au - were not included in the existing June 2023 NI 43-101 Mineral Resource Estimate, and highlights areas that warrant follow-up drilling as part of the current exploration program. The current 2026 programme represents more than twice the total historical drilling ever conducted at Misisi.
Mohamed Cisse, Chief Executive Officer of Avanti, commented : "Expanding our drilling fleet marks a major inflection point for the Misisi Project. With four rigs now operating-and six expected by the end of July-we are materially accelerating the pace at which we can generate value through resource growth, resource conversion and new discoveries across one of Central Africa's most prospective gold belts. Importantly, the first drill core from our 2026 campaign has now been submitted for assay, bringing us to the beginning of what we expect will be a steady flow of exploration results.
Our objective is not simply to drill more metres, but to systematically advance Misisi toward its next stage of development while demonstrating the scale of opportunity beyond the current 3.11 million ounce resource." Figure 1.  2 Extra Drill Rigs transported to Misisi To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6873/305181_49b130fab4f3190b_001full.jpg Figure 2. Newly mobilized Reverse Circulation ("RC") drill rig (left) and Diamond Drill ("DD") rig (right) following arrival and commissioning at the Misisi Gold Project, supporting the expansion of Avanti's active drilling fleet. To view an enhanced version of this graphic, please visit: https://images.newsfilecorp.com/files/6873/305181_avanti.jpg ABOUT THE MISISI PROJECT The Misisi Project site is located in the Fizi territory of South Kivu province, in the DRC, approximately 250 kilometres south of Bukavu and 180 kilometres north of Kalemie.
The project comprises three contiguous 30-year mining leases covering 133 square kilometres along the 55-kilometre Kibara Gold Belt. The Akyanga Deposit, located centrally in the Misisi Project, hosts an NI 43-101 compliant Inferred Mineral Resource of 40.8 million tonnes averaging 2.37 g/t gold, containing 3.11 million ounces, which was based on 19,956 meters of historic drilling, including 105 diamond drillholes ("DD") totalling 19,070 meters and six reverse circulation ("RC") drillholes totalling 887 meters. The resource extends from surface to a vertical depth of 350 metres over a strike length of approximately 2,100 metres, using a $1,500/oz pit shell.
The mineralisation remains open at depth and along strike. ACCELERATED EXPLORATION STRATEGY The Company has adopted a phased exploration strategy designed to maximize drilling productivity while rapidly advancing resource growth. Phase 1 focuses on approximately 15,000 metres of drilling at the Akyanga and Akyanga East deposits to: Expand the existing resource footprint; Upgrade confidence in the current resource; Test extensions of known mineralization; and Generate geological data to support future resource growth.
With four rigs operating simultaneously, the Company expects to significantly accelerate completion of Phase 1. Phase 2 will commence immediately following the arrival of the additional two drill rigs, increasing the total operational fleet to six rigs by the end of July. The expanded fleet will enable simultaneous drilling across several high-priority regional targets including: Akyanga Extensions Akyanga East Ngalula Tulonge Lubitchako Kilombwe The six-rig fleet will allow Avanti to execute one of the most aggressive exploration campaigns currently underway in Central Africa.
UPCOMING NEWS FLOW The Company expects a strong pipeline of exploration milestones over the coming months, including: Initial Phase 1 assay results Expansion to a six operating drill rigs Commencement of Phase 2 drilling Ongoing drill assay releases Resource growth drilling of the Akyanga mineral resource Continued advancement toward future resource updates and technical studies Initial drilling results from regional exploration targets across the Misisi Project . ABOUT AVANTI GOLD CORP Avanti Gold Corp. is a gold exploration company with a robust portfolio of projects in Africa. The Company's flagship asset is the Misisi Project in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), home to the Akyanga gold deposit.
The Akyanga deposit has an Inferred Mineral Resource of 40.8 million tonnes (Mt) at an average gold grade of 2.37 grams per tonne (g/t), totaling 3.1 million ounces (Moz) of gold. The Misisi Project spans three contiguous 30-year mining leases covering 133 square kilometers (km²) along the 55-kilometer-long Kibara Gold Belt, a prominent metallogenic province known for hosting significant gold deposits. ¹ QUALIFIED PERSONS STATEMENT  Ephraim Masibhera, a "Qualified Person" as defined by National Instrument 43-101 - Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects ("NI 43-101") who is independent, has reviewed the scientific and technical information that forms the basis for this news release and has approved the disclosure herein. Historical information contained in this news release cannot be relied upon as the Company's Qualified Person, as defined under NI 43-101, has not prepared nor verified the historical information. ¹ As disclosed in the Misisi Project August 1st 2023 Technical Report available on Avanti's website and on SEDAR+ CONTACT INFORMATION For Inquiries: Mohamed Cisse Chief Executive Officer info@avantigoldcorp.com pr@avantigoldcorp.com FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS Neither the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE) nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the CSE) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
This press release includes "forward-looking statements", including forecasts, estimates, expectations and objectives for future operations that are subject to a number of assumptions, risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond the control of Avanti. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and that actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Such forward-looking information represents management's best judgment based on information currently available.
No forward-looking statement can be guaranteed, and actual future results may vary materially. The Company's forward-looking statements and information are based on the assumptions, beliefs, expectations and opinions of management as of the date of this news release, and other than as required by applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements and information if circumstances or management's assumptions, beliefs, expectations or opinions should change, or changes in any other events affecting such statements or information. To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/305181 Newsfile Corp. July 15, 2026 - 3:00 AM PDT News by QuoteMedia www.quotemedia.com