West African Minerals has identified two new potential iron ore deposits in Cameroon and Sierra Leone from its recent geophysics and mapping programme.

In Sierra Leone, at Madina, a trenching programme has delineated a hematite target over 1.5km in length with an average width at surface of 220 metres.

First assays showed grades of between 38.5% and 41.4% iron.

At Sanaga, in Cameroon, WAFM will now carry out reconnaissance drilling and first stage metallurgy after a magnetic survey confirmed large areas of magnetite rich material at the surface and close to rail, port and power infrastructure.

Because of this potential, follow-up work at Binga, also in Cameroon and where WAFM has carried out some preliminary work, is being deferred while the drilling at Sanaga is carried out. The results will determine which of the two deposits is taken forward to the resource and preliminary economic assessment level, WAFM said.

Elsewhere, WAFM added it had also identified iron mineralisation at its licences at Lele and in the previously unexplored areas of Djadom.

Brad Mills, WAFM’s president, said the discovery of the new set of targets at Sanaga, in addition to the previously reported Binga resource, had given WAFM potentially two start-up opportunities in close proximity to existing and developing rail and port infrastructure.

“Our current funding will allow us to develop either Binga or potentially Sanaga towards a 60-100mt mineral resource estimate (MRE) in December and a preliminary economic assessment (PEA) in the first quarter of 2015.”

Reconnaissance drilling results from Sanaga are expected within two months following which a decision will be taken on which of Binga or Sanaga to select for infill drilling for an MRE.

The trenching in Sierra Leone, meanwhile, had outlined a substantial area of mineralised haematite schist from surface, essentially identical to that being mined at London Mining’s Marampa deposit 70km to the south.

“It will require a relatively modest effort to outline the full extent of this mineralisation within open pittable depths,” Mills added.