News: Australia's Resolute Mining to open 3 mln oz Mali gold mine end-2018 - CEO, page-82

Not having a go at you or the company. Just highlighting the challenge.

Syama is planned to be a long life low cost mine and that is its big attraction. But if for any reason the CapEx, cost or sustaining capital assumptions don't meet expectations its profitability could be impacted and disappoint investors. As is evident from the video the fracture properties of the rock need to meet certain requirements to make the mine work. The ore needs to break into the right size pieces to allow it to cave and to facilitate handling by the boggers. If more drilling and blasting is required to get the right fracture pattern then costs could go up. There are also potential dilution issues that need to be minimised and underground scheduling issues which are complex, not to mention getting the metallurgical recoveries up to the targeted 85%. These are only some of the challenges. To run a technologically advanced project requires a lot of expert help which doesn't come cheap in that part of the world.

I've worked in Ghana and Liberia (and I was born in Namibia) and fortunately Europe is not that far away, not to mention South Africa were experts and equipment can be sourced more cheaply than from Australia. Locals being keen to learn is one thing but a mine is not a TAFE college!! If you've worked there as you say you'll know the problems you can encounter. We've had the headlights of cars stolen when they are sitting in port waiting for paperwork to go through. Africa tends to work at its own pace also. Granted money can lubricate the wheels to get things happening faster but it is basically a pretty f#%ked up place with corruption everywhere you turn. Don't tell me you've never been hit up by the cops for money. Happens every day in Ghana.

I don't see the automation as risk. They are talking about higher productivity especially when it comes to blasting. I suppose machines can stay put where humans can't when there are dangerous tasks to do or blasting is underway. A guy in an office miles away from a machine is only going to get a bad case of RSI at worst. The problems will be more to do with teething and maintaining the machines and control systems. Once it's all bedded down and working the real efficiencies should start to bear fruit.

Remember I like this stock at this price and am going to see it through as long as it keeps hitting certain milestones.

Good night to you as well tough guy.

Eshmun