Mining Drilling in Côte d'Ivoire: Renting an RC Drill Rig

Côte d'Ivoire is one of the West African countries NIKHI GROUP serves from its Africa office in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Much of the country's gold exploration targets the same Birimian greenstone belts that run through Burkina Faso, Ghana and Mali, so the drilling methods and rigs used next door apply directly.

Which drilling, which rig

• Exploration and grade control: reverse circulation (RC) drilling gives fast, low-contamination samples. Our PRD OZ RC is in our fleet and available now: 450 m RC capacity, 140 mm holes, angle drilling from 45° to 90°, on crawler or truck.
• Production blasting in open pits: blast hole drilling with PRD DTH or rotary rigs, on request.
• Quarries: compact quarry rigs, on request.
• Pit-wall drainage: horizontal dewatering with the PRD Weep Hole, on request.

Not sure whether RC is enough or you need core? See RC or diamond core drilling.

Getting the rig to site

A rig coming from Burkina Faso crosses the land border on the main road corridor between the two countries. Prepare customs and temporary import documents early and confirm current requirements with your customs broker. For spares or equipment shipped by sea, Abidjan and San-Pédro are the country's ports. Our mobilisation checklist covers route, fuel and site readiness.

Plan around the season

The rainy season makes tracks and drill pads harder to reach and slows moves between holes. Schedule pad preparation and mobilisation for dry weather where you can, and build weather days into the programme.

Rent or hire a contractor?

Renting gives you control of pace and priorities; a drilling contract hands the whole job to a contractor. What comes with a rented rig, such as operators, maintenance support, transport or consumables, is agreed in the rental quote. See what to include in a rental agreement and what decides the rental price.

What to send for a quote

Drilling method, hole diameter, target depth and total metres, site location (region), start date and duration. The quote checklist has the full list.

We work in French and English. Request your quote below.