The newly expanded Zgounder silver mine in Morocco is gearing up for full commercial production next year, having poured its first silver.

The mine, said to be the North African country’s second-most important silver mine after Managem’s Imiter mine, is located in the central Anti-Atlas Mountains in the Taroudant province

Mining Weekly reports that the expansion of the mine is expected to quadruple production to 6.8 million ounces of silver.

‘With a full ramp-up planned for next year, we are encouraged by the strong operating indicators, overall performance, and continued optimisation of our deposit,’ says Benoit La Salle, CEO of Aya Gold and Silver, which co-owns the mine with Morocco’s Office National des Hydrocarbures et des Mines.

The mine expansion underlies Canada-based Aya’s strategy of becoming a Tier 1, pure-play silver producer.

10 December 2024
Image: Aya Gold and Silver