Canadian gold exploration company Zodiac Gold Inc. has launched its 2026 exploration programme in Liberia, committing US$6.1 million to drilling and trenching activities at its Todi Gold Project, with a primary focus on the Ben Ben target in Bomi and Bong counties.
The investment marks the next phase of Zodiac Gold’s district-scale strategy along the highly prospective Todi Shear Zone, a major geological structure spanning multiple licences in northwestern Liberia and regarded as one of West Africa’s emerging gold exploration corridors. The project now covers more than 2,300 square kilometres following recent licence expansions and renewals.
Since entering Liberia, Zodiac Gold has pursued a phased exploration approach. Initial trenching and reconnaissance drilling at the Arthington Discovery in 2024 confirmed the presence of high-grade, near-surface gold mineralisation. Follow-up diamond drilling conducted between 2024 and 2025 returned strong gold intercepts, helping to refine the project’s geological model and validate the broader potential of the Todi Gold Project.
In 2025, exploration work shifted toward the Ben Ben target, where trenching and drilling identified multiple high-grade gold intervals and outlined priority zones for further testing. These results laid the foundation for the current 2026 programme, which is designed to systematically evaluate a 16-kilometre gold-in-soil corridor stretching from Arthington eastward to Youth Camp. To date, less than six percent of this corridor has been drill-tested.
Previous trenching at Ben Ben delivered high-grade channel samples, including 0.65 metres grading 53.6 grams per tonne of gold and 0.44 metres grading 71 grams per tonne, pointing to strong potential for additional discoveries along strike. The new drilling campaign aims to build on these results and determine the scale and continuity of mineralisation across the corridor.
Zodiac Gold’s position in Liberia was further strengthened in late 2025 when the company entered into an exclusivity agreement with Avesoro Resources, Liberia’s largest gold producer. Under the agreement, Avesoro paid a $200,000 exclusivity fee while assessing a potential transaction involving the Todi Gold Project. The partnership signals growing interest from established regional operators and enhances Zodiac Gold’s strategic standing in the country’s mining sector.
Company leadership has said the 2026 programme is designed to convert earlier exploration success into a clearer understanding of the project’s long-term potential. With a strengthened balance sheet following recent financing, Zodiac Gold says it is well positioned to execute a disciplined exploration plan and deliver meaningful results over the course of the year.
Liberia’s gold sector has been gaining momentum in recent years. The country produced an estimated 13.6 tonnes of gold in 2023, up from 11.7 tonnes the previous year, with declared exports valued at close to $600 million. Gold now accounts for more than 40 percent of Liberia’s mining export value.
Although Liberia remains a smaller producer compared with established gold markets such as Ghana, Mali, and South Africa, its geology forms part of the Birimian gold belt, one of Africa’s most prolific gold-bearing regions. Zodiac Gold’s latest investment highlights Liberia’s growing appeal to foreign mining investors and aligns with government efforts to expand and formalise the mining sector as a driver of economic growth.
