Tonkolili District · Sierra Leone
Responsible gold mining, built on partnership with African communities.
AK Minerals operates a mechanised gold mining project in the Kafe Chiefdom of Sierra Leone, combining disciplined operations with genuine community partnership and environmental stewardship.
- Concession Area
- 4.98 km²
- District
- Tonkolili
- Mineral
- Gold
About Us
Who We Are
AK Minerals is a Sierra Leone-registered mining company holding a Mining Licence granted under the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2023. We bring a disciplined, safety-first approach to gold extraction, drawing on hands-on experience running mechanised mining operations in West Africa.
We work in close partnership with the Kafe Chiefdom, from the Paramount Chief and Section Chief down to the villages nearest our licence area, because a mining project only succeeds when the community it operates alongside shares in its benefits. Our approach is to treat neighbours as partners: transparent about our plans, accountable to local authorities, and committed to leaving the land in good order once mining is complete.
The project is developed by AK Minerals (SL) Limited and is currently operated by its management and shareholder group. Verified management biographies will be published here following management approval.
Company Snapshot
- Legal Name
- AK Minerals
- Licence Type
- Mining Licence
- Mineral
- Gold
- Regulator
- National Minerals Agency (NMA)
- Registered Address
- 7 Beach Road, Aberdeen, Freetown
Safety First
Mechanised operations run to disciplined safety and maintenance standards, protecting our workforce on site every day.
Regulatory Compliance
Operating within the framework of Sierra Leone’s 2023 Mines and Minerals Development Act, with regular reporting to the National Minerals Agency.
Community Partnership
Formal agreements with local chiefdom authorities and landholders, and a standing channel for community feedback and grievances.
Environmental Stewardship
Closed-loop water management and progressive land rehabilitation carried out throughout the life of the mine, not just at closure.
Project Kafe
The Project
Our licensed concession sits in the Kafe Chiefdom, Kabaia Section, Tonkolili District, within Sierra Leone’s Sula Mountains greenstone belt, an area with a long history of gold mineralisation.
- Location
- Royema-Thonkolie, Kafe Chiefdom, Tonkolili District
- Concession Area
- 4.98 km² (498 hectares)
- Terrain
- Rolling, 100–300 m elevation
- Hydrology
- Seasonal wetlands & Tonkolili River tributaries
- Access
- Via the Makeni–Magburaka Highway; seasonal unpaved roads on site
- Geology
- Archaean greenstone belt: alluvial and hard-rock gold targets
How We Operate
Our operating model is mechanised surface mining, run on a seasonal schedule aligned to dry-season access and water availability. The process moves from extraction through to a secure, on-site gold room:
Extraction
Shallow open-pit, selective mining of gold-bearing laterite and gravels.
Haulage
Short haul from the pit to our on-site processing plant.
Gravity Separation
Scrubbing, screening and centrifugal concentration: a chemical-free process.
Recovery
Final recovery and smelting in a secure, on-site gold room.
The project employs a mix of local labour and experienced technical leads, with our workforce scaling with the phase of operations. We favour local hiring and skills development wherever possible.
Sierra Leone, On The Ground
General project-area imagery from Sierra Leone. These are illustrative photographs of the region and terrain, not a record of current operations or production.
Terrain and vegetation, project region, Sierra Leone.
Landscape and site access, project region, Sierra Leone.
Rock sample, project area. Shown for illustration only, not a resource or grade disclosure.
These images are illustrative of the project region and are not intended to represent current operations, production, or specific technical results.
The operating case
Built around a clear operating case.
30 t/hr
Processing capacity
10 hrs
Operating day
300 t
Daily feed
~3.0 g/t
Blended run-of-mine head grade
85%
Recovery
90,000 t
Annual feed
~229.5 kg
Recovered gold per year
23 carat
Gold quality
Base-case management assumptions. The 300 t/day plant feed is modelled as a blend of underground and open pit material from the project’s resource area, averaging to an approximate 3.0 g/t run-of-mine head grade. Precise scheduling and blend ratios are subject to detailed mine planning. Actual production will depend on grade distribution, recovery, plant availability, operating conditions and other technical factors.
Licence And Compliance
Mining licence
Current National Minerals Agency concession, treated by management as valid for a four-year period.
Regulatory framework
Granted under the Mines and Minerals Development Act, 2023. Regulator of record is the National Minerals Agency, Precious Minerals Trading Department.
Licence term
Specific commencement and expiry dates are not published on this site.
Documentation
Corporate and licence documentation is made available to counterparties and authorities on request, rather than published publicly.
Sustainability & Community
Operating Responsibly
Mining is a temporary use of the land and a long-term relationship with the people who live on it. Our commitments reflect both.
Community Development Agreement
A formal agreement with the Kafe Chiefdom setting out a community development fund and profit-sharing arrangement, alongside annual surface rent payments to landholders and the chiefdom.
Grievance Mechanism
A standing, formal channel for residents to raise concerns or disputes with the project, so issues are heard and addressed early.
Water Management
A closed-loop water system recycles process water between the plant and settling ponds, with a zero-discharge target during the dry season to protect local waterways.
Progressive Rehabilitation
Backfilling and topsoil replacement follow extraction as it proceeds, not only at mine closure, with revegetation and an EPA-approved closure plan for the site.
Local Employment
Preference for local hiring across our workforce, with skilled roles open to community members alongside our technical leads.
Coexistence & Formalisation
Where our concession overlaps with existing artisanal workings, our approach is coexistence: designated artisanal zones, fair-market purchase of artisanal production, and formal employment pathways for skilled artisanal miners.
“Success relies on converting the community from neighbours to partners.”
FAQ
Common questions.
What is AK Minerals?
AK Minerals (SL) Limited is developing a gold mining and processing project in Sierra Leone, currently operated by its management and shareholder group.
Where is the project?
The concession is located in the Kafe Chiefdom, Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone.
What does 3 g/t mean?
Approximately 3.0 g/t is the modelled blended run-of-mine head grade fed to the processing plant. It is a management planning assumption reflecting a blend of underground and open pit material from the project’s resource area, not a certified reserve grade.
Why are the licence and corporate documents not public?
AK Minerals restricts its concession and corporate documentation to verified counterparties, to prevent unauthorised use or misrepresentation of its documents.
Contact
Get in Touch
For enquiries about AK Minerals or Project Kafe, reach us directly.
Email info@ak-minerals.com
Registered Office
7 Beach Road
Aberdeen, Freetown
Sierra Leone
Project Site
Royema-Thonkolie
Kafe Chiefdom, Kabaia Section
Tonkolili District, Sierra Leone
