Aton's CEO Looks Forward to 2021
VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Jan. 04, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Aton Resources Inc. (TSX-V: AAN) (“Aton” or the “Company) is pleased to share the thoughts of its President and CEO Mark Campbell on 2020, and the Company’s plans for 2021.
“The year 2020 has been a challenging one, to say the least, for the whole world as well as for Aton, and I for one am glad that it is in our rear view mirror! It was certainly a very frustrating year for our shareholders and employees, as so many issues arose due to COVID-19, which were simply out of our control. What 2021 brings has yet to be written, but whatever comes our way, Aton will be ready to face the challenges and maximize the positives. Three words symbolize Aton in 2020: resilience, flexibility and determination. The year brought positive developments, both for Aton and for Egypt, but it also brought some unexpected challenges. Instead of letting those challenges become distractions, we 'saddled up' and have focused on getting back to work as soon as possible in 2021. So unlike in past years where I could look back on events, 2020 saw almost no activity. I therefore intend to look forward to our plans for the New Year, which are what people want to know, as the disruptions brought about by COVID-19 have put us into a holding pattern for much of 2020.
“As I say, by in large, 2020 was a pretty uneventful year and I don’t want to dwell too much on it, but a few things do come to mind. Egypt hosted its first Mining Day at PDAC where a new gold bid round was announced, which has been pretty successful in spite of the challenges posed by COVID-19. In the end bids were attracted from such mining heavyweights as Barrick, B2 Gold, and Centamin along with junior exploration companies such as AKH Gold/Altus Strategies, Red Sea Resources, Lotus Gold and Nubian Mining, in addition to some local players, but we still have to wait for the announcement of the final results, and the formal award of exploration ground. 2020 was also a year of sadness for Aton, as we lost our good friend and director Giles Baynham, far too early. And we are concluding 2020 saying goodbye to our long serving CFO, Justin Blanchet, and welcoming our new CFO, Bennett Liu. So 2020 saw many changes and challenges that Aton has weathered, while applauding the successes in Egypt and moving its plans forward.
“Aton enters the New Year, with the minerals sector in Egypt now showing tangible signs of development, with optimism, purpose and a determination to succeed that is truly exciting. We intend to develop Egypt’s second operating gold mine at Hamama, and in addition to Rodruin and Hamama, we believe that our Abu Marawat Concession has district scale potential and contains many exciting gold exploration targets. We have developed an ambitious exploration drilling and development program planned to start as soon as we can in 2021. There are still potential bumps in the road due to COVID-19 but we will work to overcome these. Our plan is to bring in two rigs for our drilling at Rodruin, Hamama and other exploration targets. Given the steep topography at Rodruin we plan to bring in a man portable diamond drill rig, which offers us more flexibility as well as a smaller footprint. We also plan to use it at Hamama, where we intend to drill additional oxide resource potential at Hamama East, still to date untested. We also intend to bring in an RC rig for further resource delineation drilling at Hamama West, as well as drill testing some of our highly prospective exploration targets including Abu Gaharish, Sir Bakis, Bohlog, West Garida and Zeno, as we look to continue to build the overall value of our Abu Marawat Concession. Timing remains dependent upon COVID-19 with travel bans, lockdowns and local restrictions still causing delays to the bringing in of equipment and personnel to Egypt. Additionally, the health and safety of all of our employees remains a primary focus. So our plans and timings will by necessity remain flexible, to respond to forces outside of our control. But, nonetheless, there is much to do this year.
“What we were able to accomplish in 2020 wouldn’t have been possible without the help, loyalty and dedication of our employees. Throughout the organization, smart and talented individuals have been focused on sustaining Aton through 2020, and building for 2021. Having been working in Egypt for twelve years and myself having been involved in mining in Egypt for twenty-six years, we have the most experienced exploration team in the country. In addition, the Company benefitted from a strong board of directors that have been instrumental in developing strategy in partnership with management. We are blessed to have excellent and supportive advisors, consultants, contractors and suppliers. We also will continue to work closely with EMRA and the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, to encourage and attract new exploration investment into the country. The future for Egypt is bright and Aton looks to be at the forefront of helping Egypt achieve success.
“We know that because of the efforts of our phenomenal team, we were able to survive a challenging 2020. We believe that 2021 will be very successful for the Company and for you. It’s an incredible feeling to know that when I go out to meet with investors, both existing and potential, that there is no way that I can oversell the brilliance, competency and commitment of Aton’s team.
“Happy New Year and thank you to all of our shareholders; without your support we would not have been able to get as far as we have.”
About Aton Resources Inc.
Aton Resources Inc. (AAN: TSX-V) is focused on its 100% owned Abu Marawat Concession (“Abu Marawat”), located in Egypt’s Arabian-Nubian Shield, approximately 200 km north of Centamin’s world-class Sukari gold mine. Aton has identified numerous gold and base metal exploration targets at Abu Marawat, including the Hamama deposit in the west, the Abu Marawat deposit in the northeast, and the advanced Rodruin exploration prospect in the south of the Concession. Two historic British gold mines are also located on the Concession at Sir Bakis and Semna. Aton has identified several distinct geological trends within Abu Marawat, which display potential for the development of a variety of styles of precious and base metal mineralisation. Abu Marawat is 447.7 km2 in size and is located in an area of excellent infrastructure; a four-lane highway, a 220kV power line, and a water pipeline are in close proximity, as are the international airports at Hurghada and Luxor.
For further information regarding Aton Resources Inc., please visit us at www.atonresources.com or contact:
MARK CAMPBELL
President and Chief Executive Officer
Tel: +202-27356548
Email: mcampbell@atonresources.com
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Some of the statements contained in this release are forward-looking statements. Since forward-looking statements address future events and conditions; by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results in each case could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements.
Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
