About Us

The Santa Barbara Gold Project

The recently completed takeover of the unlisted Andean Mining Limited for $7m in an all-scrip bid, meaning a 40% increase in the issued capital, has provided the Company with opportunity for both near term gold earnings and exciting blue-sky potential. A successful pilot mining operation by the previous owner treated 500 tonnes of ore that achieved the very high recovered grade of 20 gpt gold. Aguia plans to restart the 30 tpd pilot plant in Q4 of 2024, and continue to process gold mineralisation from the exploration adits. It has every expectation of being able to repeat the performance of the trial program but on a continuous basis rather than batch processing.

Once the plant has been recommissioned and debottlenecked, the next step will be to progressively expand the capacity through additional development of underground workings and capital expenditure on the plant. The budget estimates recommissioning costs of approximately A$1.5m.  It should be noted that the Company is unable to provide formal guidance for the gold production owing to an absence of JORC resources.

Rather than conducting exploration the drilling work has comprised of exploration along adits that have been developed on the outcropping veins. This has provided valuable information on the geometry and rock mechanics experienced in actual mining that could not be achieved on drilling alone. It has demonstrated the consistency of the orebodies along strike of the near vertically dipping veins. Underground mining conditions are now well understood. The treatment of 500 tonnes in a CIL treatment plant has confirmed the metallurgical performance and recovered grades, substantially reducing commissioning risk.

Even though the Company is precluded from providing guidance, educated investors will be able to draw their own conclusions regarding the potential profitability of the Santa Barbara Gold Project. The Company will release production figures when they become available, based on actual results rather than predictions based on estimates and studies.

Early in 2025, Aguia will start an exploration drilling program aimed to facilitate the calculation of JORC resources. This program would be best described as brownfields exploration, rather than greenfields,  because of its proximity to the underground workings. Drilling above and below the already exposed high-grade gold vein could give a quick path to a JORC resource. There are 7 km of veins to be tested in a larger exploration program.

Aguia believes that it has a mineralised gold system similar to that of Buritica, that can typically extend to depths of 1,000m and more.  The Buritica Gold Mine in Colombia started out with a 30 tpd trial treatment plant 10-12 years ago, and grew to become a very large project that is now producing  approximately 400,000 oz.   Aguia believes it is dealing with a similar geological environment. Accordingly, it sees significant blue-sky potential that will be tested over the next few years.

Rock Phosphate in Brazil

Aguia is reactivating its phosphate projects in Brazil following a period of inactivity caused by objections. The Company has the full support of the State government mining and environmental departments, and the local community.  Phosphate is essential to power Brazil’s agricultural economy with the Federal Government having determined it to be a strategic mineral and Aguia’s phosphate projects strategic to the nation.

Under the leadership of the recently appointed Country Manager Mr Tim Hosking our Brazilian operations have been energised.  Tim brings strong management credentials and extensive Brazilian experience having been the Operations Manager at the highly successful ASX listed Karoon Energy oil and gas explorer and producer. He speaks Portuguese. Tim has re-invigorated the team and appointed a new geological team. Our new geologists are highly experienced both in Brazil and internationally and bring operational as well as geological experience to the company. All of our team members reside locally.

Aguia is now concentrating on drilling its extensive phosphate tenements with the focus on the Mato Grande target. We are also simultaneously testing previous assays from the same blocks with a view to obtain another JORC Resource. Further updates will be provided in the near future.

Colombia has been rated the most attractive mining destination country in Latin America ahead of both Chile and Peru.

Colombia was also ranked 13th globally for its jurisdiction’s “pure” mineral potential, since it assumed a “best practices” policy regime. Colombia was the second highest ranked country behind only Turkey and some individual states or territories in Canada, Australia and the USA.

Colombia’s GDP per capita has grown approximately 10-fold between 1990 and 2020 rising from US$1,445/capita to US$14,943/capita.

The economy of Colombia is the fourth largest in Latin America as measured by gross domestic product. Colombia has experienced a historic economic boom over the last decade. Throughout the 20th century Colombia was Latin America’s 4th and 3rd largest economy GDP and between 2012-2014 it became the 3rd largest in Latin America (nominal) GDP. As of 2018 the GDP per capita has increased to over US$14,000, and GDP increased from US$250 billion in 1990 to nearly US$800 billion. Poverty levels were as high as 65% in 1990 but decreased to under 30% by 2014.

Petroleum is Colombia’s main export, making over 45% of Colombia’s exports. Manufacturing makes up nearly 12% of Colombia’s exports and grows at a rate of over 10% a year. Colombia has the fastest growing information technology industry in the world and has the longest fibre optic network in Latin America. Colombia also has one of the largest shipbuilding industries in the world outside Asia.

Modern industries like shipbuilding, electronics, automobile, tourism, construction, and mining, grew dramatically during the 2000s and 2010s, however, most of Colombia’s exports are still commodity-based. Colombia is Latin America’s 2nd-largest producer of domestically made electronics and appliances only behind Mexico. Colombia had the fastest growing major economy in the western world in 2014, behind only China worldwide.

The State of Rio Grande do Sul (the State) in southernmost Brazil  has a population of about 12 million people. It’s home to Aguia’s phosphate projects and an extensive copper portfolio which are all 100% owned and carry no debt.

Organic Phosphate

Aguia has secured 100% of all the known phosphate deposits in this rich agricultural region. The Company currently has a total JORC Resource of approximately 108MT of phosphate at 2 locations. In total our phosphate licenses cover about 141 sq km of ground comprising 8 potential sites which form 4 hubs in close proximity. We are currently drilling at the Mato Grande site.

The State’s rich agricultural land is renowned for its productivity and Aguia’s phosphate is strategically located in its centre.  It spreads into the bordering countries of Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina where it is linked by a good system of roads thus expanding its potential markets.

Brazil is Latin America’s biggest economy and an agricultural powerhouse. With its expanding agriculture sector, Brazil is currently the third-largest agricultural producer in the world, yet it is reliant on imports for 72% of its phosphate, a critical mineral for growing food. The Brazilian Government is very supportive of our projects which reduce the country’s dependence on imported phosphate.

Copper

Located in close proximity to its phosphate tenements Aguia has 11 copper exploration targets located on 136,000 hectares of copper tenements.

The region has historically hosted gold and copper mining with the renowned Camaqua copper mine in production for over 100 years.

Nossa Terra, which translates as ‘Our Land’ is a program run by Aguia which supports the actions and projects of entities that are committed to sustainability, education and improvement in the quality of life, especially for vulnerable people within the local area.

Aguia works closely with the Rio Grande do Sul community, beyond the community consultation required for project permitting.  This has included sponsorship of a variety of local events.