Manroc Developments has been selected as contractor for Golden Star Resources' Prestea underground gold mine in Ghana.
The company selected Manroc after conducting a bidding process, which involved various mining contractors.
Golden Star will use Manroc’s Alimak stoping as the mining method for Prestea underground due to its safety and efficiency benefits.
The narrow, high-grade deposit, Prestea has mineral reserves of 1.0Mt at 14.02g/t for 469,000oz and substantial exploration upside potential.
Golden Star expects to start development of the Prestea underground ore body during the fourth quarter of this year, while Manroc will mobilise its fleet to the site during the same period.
Commercial production at the mine is expected to begin in mid-2017.
Golden Star Resources president and CEO Sam Coetzer said: "We remain on track to bring Prestea Underground into production in mid-2017, which will be a significant milestone for Golden Star as it is expected to increase our production rate and further reduce our cash operating costs.
"The mine is one of the highest grade development projects in West Africa and it has a strong history, with approximately nine million ounces of gold production during the past century.
"The work to upgrade Prestea's infrastructure is continuing well and we are excited about the potential upside of the deposit's mineral reserves."
Manroc has worked on major projects on a number of continents for clients, including Barrick Gold, Goldcorp and Nyrstar. Earlier, the company operated in Ghana and Tanzania.
Golden Star also owns and operates the Wassa mine situated on the prolific Ashanti Gold Belt in western Ghana, Africa.
