QMSD Mining Co Ltd (“QMSD”) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Doha-based Qatar Mining (“QM”). QMSD was created solely for the purpose of mineral exploration in Sudan and is headquartered in Khartoum. The company started formal operations in Sudan in April 2013 primarily in Block 62, in Red Sea State, secured by way of a formal Concession Agreement with the Sudanese Ministry of Minerals. The additional block, contiguous to B62, block 62b was secured in July 2014. These blocks cover an area of 5,110 km2 (figure 1). QMSD maintains a permanent exploration camp in Block 62 (Figure 2).
Exploration work on Block 62 has been continuous since 2013. The first Exploration Year (April 2013 to March 2014) included remote sensing alteration and geological mapping, ground-based mapping and drainage sampling to generate targets. This work quickly focused on a geochemical copper and gold anomaly at Jebel Ohier (JO) (Figure 3). Significant hydrothermal alteration was identified in outcrop at JO, pointing to the presence of a major mineralizing system. Surface rocks at JO are completely obscured by desert varnish making geological interpretation difficult.
Reverse Circulation (RC) drilling commenced in Year Two. A total of 5,600m of drilling was completed along with further mapping, hyperspectral studies and ground geophysics. Access roads constructed over the JO massif exposed fresh rock and proved exceptionally useful in elucidating the geology of the area. Rich, copper-oxide mineralization was identified along some road sections. An extensive road-cut mapping and channel sampling program was implemented and, by the end of Year Two, the first indications of a possible Porphyry Copper Deposit (PCD) discovery at JO were emerging. In addition a significant gold exploration target was identified at Al Bashoom in Block 62b, which is a focus for artisanal mining activity.
Year Three exploration (April 2015 to March 2016) saw further RC drilling coupled with an initial phase of diamond core (DD) drilling. 11,389m of drilling were completed during the year. Metallogenic and geochronology studies were carried out on JO, along with further mapping, detailed logging (both lithological and geotechnical) and airborne geophysical (VTEM, magnetic and radiometric) surveys over large areas of the two licenses. Preliminary metallurgical testing was also completed on two RC holes which showed that the copper-bearing lithologies were amenable to sulphide flotation and oxide leaching. The field programs confirmed JO as a major, newly-discovered copper and gold-bearing PCD, hosting both oxide and sulphide mineralization, and also identified numerous other targets across B62 and B62b, including new PCD targets around JO.
With the confirmed identification of JO as a PCD, “Anaconda” style mapping and logging practices were implemented during Year Four (April 2016 to March 2017). This was a major change in approach allowing for the stockwork and other vein systems at JO to be properly understood and categorized, the hydrothermal alteration to be correctly contextualized, and mineralising domains identified. Phase two drilling continued into Phase three with a total of 13,130m being drilled. Three dimensional modelling of the JO PCD was undertaken as input into in-house JO mineral inventory computations which demonstrated significant tonnages and copper and gold contents at JO. The volumetric model was further refined in preparation for the maiden Mineral Resource estimate (MRe).
Year Five (April 2017 to March 2018) saw a continuation of Phase three drilling with an increase during the year to four rigs. 27,952 metres of drilling were completed during the year. A second phase of Anaconda mapping was conducted while Anaconda style logging of drillhole core continued. A maiden MRe was completed in December 2017, this showed JO to be a significant PCD discovery in both tonnage and copper content. Phase 3 drilling completed after the maiden MRe identified additional mineralization both along strike and at depth. Initial RC drilling also took place on potential new PCD centres in close proximity of JO.
Year Six (April 2018 to April 2019) commenced a fourth phase of drilling, a 133,000m drill program. Data from the completed phase 3 program as well as the early holes of phase 4 were utilized to produce a MRe upgrade which produced a substantial increase in tonnage and copper/gold content. A PEA commenced at the end of year six and the remainder of phase 4 will feed into the data for further Resource updates for a pre-feasibility study.
Years seven through ten (April 2019 to April 2023) saw the completion of the PEA in early 2020 with a positive result. The PEA was updated in 2021 with a more favourable result following resource updates and drilling continued for the PFS. Drilling was completed in Q1 2022 and the final resource estimate for the PFS was complete in Q3 2022. Metallurgical testing was ongoing. The PFS study commenced in March 2023 with a site visit by our consultants SLR.
Years eleven through thirteen (April 2023 to April 2026) concentrated on the completion of the metallurgical studies feeding into the PFS. The PFS was completed in February 2025. Since then QMSD has updated the results in-house with updated recoveries and costs in the reserve generation and alternative quotes for certain process plant equipment. This led to a substantial rise in value.
Abdulhadi Al-Shahwani is a Qatari mining and investment professional with experience spanning investment analysis, project development, operations, and corporate governance. He serves as Investments Manager at Qatar Mining, where he began his career in 2015 as a Mining Engineer before advancing through senior investment and supervisory roles. He is General Manager and Vice Chairman of QMSD Mining Co. Ltd and General Manager of Qatar Steel International, having advanced to these roles after serving as a board director at both companies. Over his career he has helped manage a major international transaction, due diligence, and contributed to projects development and corporate governance across the group. He holds an MBA with Honours from the University of Aberdeen and a BEng in Mining Engineering with Honours from the Camborne School of Mines, University of Exeter.
Mr. Davies is a mining engineering professional with 30 years of experience in corporate, engineering consultancy, underground and open cast environments encompassing production, mine/strategic planning, projects, valuation, mining economics. He worked previously for Qatar Mining CHQ, Saudi Arabian Mining Company, De Beers Consolidated Mines and Impala Platinum. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) Mining and Petroleum engineering and an MPhil in Rock Engineering from the University of Strathclyde. He is a Fellow of IMMM.
Graeme is Chartered Mining Engineer (CEng)and Professional Member of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. He holds a B.Sc. (Hons) in Mineral Management. He has over 30 years of experience including major international projects. He is an experienced consultant with 20 years of experience benefiting from over 10 years of practical knowledge working in operations.
He spent the early part of his career working in the UK domestic open pit coal mining industry developing many mines through feasibility to operations. He has since worked in West Africa on a major iron ore project for ArcelorMittal before managing the technical services department with Leighton Asia in Central Asia at a 10Mtpa open pit coal mine. As a Consultant he has prepared many due diligence studies, audits, valuations, scoping through to full feasibility studies for M&A, IPOs, stock market listing, 43-101 and JORC technical reports. His work has taken him to Africa, Europe and the Middle East covering gold, copper, iron ore, coal and tungsten.
Graeme has worked on the development of the Jebel Ohier B62 project since 2018. Developing the studies from PEA through to PFS completion in 2025. With the objective of achieving the best possible economic valuation bringing together all aspects of geology, geotechnical, hydrogeology, metallurgy, mining, infrastructure for economic assessment. Specifically with regard to the mining and infrastructure, including the access road, pipeline and onsite infrastructure. Creating optimizations, schedules and mine designs for the open pits. He also assisted with drilling program target identification for the purpose of upgrading resources and expansion. As operation Manager he was responsible for the Health, Safety and Environmental tasks associated with the daily operations and for collection of baseline data for the project studies. He was also involved with the metallurgical test work programme overseeing the Chief Metallurgist with regard to direction for the PEA/PFS studies.
A metallurgist with over 27 years of experience in the Mining Industry that spans across Africa, the Middle East and Asia, Witker has had expert hands-on in:
Has previously held positions of Technical Manager at Strategic & Precious Metals Processing (SPMP) in Oman, Technical Manager at Steenkampskraal Monazite Mine (SMM) in South Africa, Technical Manager, Plant Manager and Senior Metallurgical Engineer for process Improvement at KCM, Nkana Smelter and at ZCCM’s Precious Metals Plant (PMP) in Zambia
Witker is a registered professional Engineer (R. Eng-002334), certified Radiation Protection Officer (RPO-00331) and has M.Eng Degree in Chemical Engineering from Beijing University of Chemical Technology and B. Sc Degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Zambia and is affiliated as a member of various professional bodies such as Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM-706267), CIM-143944 and Engineering Institute of Zambia (EIZ-005141)
Witker Zimba was appointed Chief Metallurgical Engineer for QMSD in September 2018 and again in January 2022 and is currently engaged as a Consulting Metallurgist since October 2023, providing metallurgical expertise for QMSD Mining Co LTD.
Georgii Sorokin is a mineral resource geologist with more than 20 years of experience across Central Asia, Russia, West and East Africa, and the Middle East. His international work includes projects in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Sudan, Saudi Arabia and Oman, covering exploration, resource definition, mining geology, technical due diligence and project development.
His commodity experience spans gold, copper, zinc-lead and other base metals, uranium, and iron-manganese deposits. He has worked with epithermal gold, volcanogenic massive sulphide (VMS), porphyry copper and stratiform copper systems, applying 3D geological modelling, geostatistics and resource estimation to complex datasets. Georgiy has held senior resource leadership and consulting roles, supporting JORC- and NI 43-101-aligned reporting, QA/QC, resource classification, grade control, and PFS and FS studies. He combines practical mining experience with a broad regional perspective and a disciplined focus on data quality, technical risk and defensible mineral resource evaluation.