Initial Assay Results from the 2026 Exploration Program Demonstrate New Areas of Polymetallic Mineralization at the Samapleu Nickel-Copper Project
The 2026 Exploration Program to be Expanded with the Additional Goal of New Mineral Resource Declarations
Montreal, Quebec – TheNewswire - July 13, 2026 – Sama Resources Inc. ("Sama" or the "Company") (TSXV: SME) (OTC: SAMMF), together with its joint venture partner Ivanhoe Electric Inc. ("Ivanhoe Electric") (NYSE American: IE; TSX: IE), is pleased to provide an update on the 2026 exploration program at the polymetallic Samapleu Nickel-Copper Project (the "Project") in Côte d'Ivoire, West Africa including the results from the initial assays received from drilling to date, which demonstrate new areas of polymetallic mineralization.
The 2026 exploration program was initially designed for the discovery of new high-grade polymetallic mineralization to show the Project’s district-scale potential. The program will now be expanded to also target an initial resource declaration at the Yepleu Prospect in the south of the Project area, where shallow polymetallic mineralization is present, as well as an updated mineral resource estimate at the Samapleu SW Extension Deposit. The goal is to declare the first Project-wide global mineral resource estimate from three distinct areas within the Project.
The Project is a 60/40 joint venture between Ivanhoe Electric and Sama, with Sama acting as the operator (the “Joint Venture”). In addition to a 60% interest at the Project level, Ivanhoe Electric also owns 22.7% of the common shares of Sama. The Project currently includes the polymetallic Samapleu and Grata Deposits, which were the focus of the 2024 Preliminary Economic Assessment (“PEA”) (the “2024 PEA Area”) (refer to Sama’s March 21, 2024 news release).
Dr. Marc-Antoine Audet, President and Chief Executive Officer of Sama Resources, commented:
"The 2026 program is an important step in demonstrating the substantial district-scale potential of the Project, through the discovery of additional mineralization and the delineation of new resources. The regional discovery-driven exploration program, building on the success of the 2025 program that discovered the Mossikro Prospect and expanded mineralization of the Samapleu SW Extension Deposit, continues to intersect new areas of polymetallic mineralization far outside of the 2024 PEA Area and existing Mineral Resources. The upcoming resource delineation program at the Yepleu Prospect provides an opportunity to add meaningful value through additional shallow, polymetallic, and bulk-tonnage style mineralization, like the Samapleu and Grata Deposits."
Dr Audet continued saying: “Additionally, with the recent sale of the remaining position of Falcon totaling CAD$9,867,000 Sama is actively pursuing a new robust growth strategy targeting copper and nickel.”
Regional Exploration Drilling Intersects New Mineralization Outside of the 2024 PEA Area Demonstrating the Project’s District-Scale Potential
Nearly 2,000 meters of drilling across 5 holes have been completed so far and mineralized ultramafic of the host-rock Yacouba Complex, has been intersected at all three previously untested targets (Glanle, Yorodougou and Zoupleu), further supporting the Project's district-scale potential. Mineralization is characterized by broad intervals of minor disseminated iron, nickel, and copper sulfides, with local and narrow zones of higher abundance. Minor disseminated polymetallic sulfide mineralization in the host ultramafic is similar to the low-grade base-metal anomalous halo surrounding the main Samapleu Main deposit and implies the target area remains prospective potential for similar discoveries. Future exploration will target higher-grade domains of the mineralized system, using gravity and electromagnetic (“EM”) data.
The first drill hole for which assays have been received is drill hole ZP-01 at the Zoupleu Prospect, approximately 13 kilometers southwest of the 2024 PEA Area. Drilling intersected more than 100 meters of the host ultramafics and 23.2 meters of combined mineralized material, including 6.3 meters grading 0.13% Ni, 0.13% Cu, 0.01% Co and 0.05 g/t Pt from 116.8 meters depth.
Dr. Audet commented, “The assays from this first hole at the Zoupleu Prospect show that the same polymetallic mineralization we see elsewhere on the Project continues at least 6 kilometres from the nearest similar mineralization at the advanced Yepleu Prospect, and 13 kilometres from the 2024 PEA Area. While these results are early stage, they are very similar to the broad and anomalous halo that surround the core of the Samapleu Main and Grate mineral resources, and clearly shows the potential in this area, and the Project’s potential to grow beyond the deposits currently contemplated in the PEA.”
Assays from four further drill holes are pending.
The 2026 exploration program is approximately 50% complete with 1,997 meters of regional exploration drilling completed at the Glanle, Zoupleu, and Yorodougou Prospects representing 40% of the exploration drilling planned for 2026. The program is the continuation of the 2025 program, which resulted in the discovery of the Mossikro Prospect 10 kilometers south-southwest of the 2024 PEA Area (refer to Sama’s September 9, 2025 news release). The Project includes 20 high-priority, EM targets with comparable features and scale as the existing Samapleu and Grata Deposits, distributed throughout the 879 km² land package (including the former PR 300 area which is currently under renewal process).
Twelve square kilometers of ground gravity surveying completed over six high-priority EM targets have also been completed to date. Further detailed ground-gravity surveying is ongoing and is being completed over EM anomalies. Coincident EM and gravity anomalies are interpreted to characterize mineralized ultramafics, considered for future exploration drilling. So far, coincident gravity and EM anomalies have been identified at the Glanle, Zoupleu, Yorodogou, and Mossikro Prospects, and the SW1/SW2 Target. Gravity surveying is ongoing at the Bounta Prospect and planned for additional targets in the northeastern and eastern part of the Project.
Figure 1: Map of the Polymetallic Samapleu Nickel-Copper Project showing the 2024 PEA Area, prior drilling, past airborne EM results, mineralized zones, and drilling from the 2026 program.
Click Image To View Full Size
Program to be Expanded to include Drilling Aimed at Identifying Additional Resources and to Support the First Project-Wide Mineral Resource Estimate
To support the goal of completing a first Project-wide Mineral Resource Estimate:
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2,000 meters of resource delineation drilling is now planned to support an initial mineral resource estimate at the Yepleu Prospect; and
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1,000 meters of resource expansion drilling outside the existing mineral resource estimate at the Samapleu SW Extension Deposit is planned.
This drilling is anticipated to be completed in Q3 2026.
The successful declaration of new mineral resources would be included in the first Project-wide mineral resource estimate which would also include current updates to the 2024 mineral resource estimates at the Samapleu Main, Samapleu Extension, Samapleu SW Extension, and Grata Deposits
BBA International Inc. (“BBA”) has been engaged to prepare the initial mineral resource estimate for the Yepleu Prospect, and to provide an updated mineral resource estimate of the existing mineral resources that support the 2024 PEA Area. This would incorporate new drilling results and be based on current commodity prices.
The Yepleu Prospect, approximately 25 kilometers south of the 2024 PEA Area, was discovered in 2013, and is characterized by shallow, bulk-tonnage, and polymetallic mineralization, like the Samapleu Main deposit (Figure. 2). Highlight intercepts from past exploration include 39 meters grading 0.25% Ni, 0.13% Cu, 0.01% Co, 0.07 g/t Pd, 0.03 g/t Pt, and 0.03 g/t Au from 20 meters depth (refer to Sama’s January 9, 2024 news release). The 2,000 meters of drilling planned for this year will be used to fill gaps to the spacing required for mineral resource estimating, expand the mineralization along strike and to depth.
At the Samapleu SW Extension Deposit, within the 2024 PEA Area, plate modelling of downhole EM results has been integrated with results of this year’s detailed ground gravity surveying and have identified nearby targets outside the existing mineral resource estimate. A program of 1,000 meters will target expansion potential of the deposit, and will follow up on results from the 2025 program, which included 99.5 meters grading 0.23% Ni, 0.16% Cu, 0.02% Co, 0.18 g/t Pd, 0.05 g/t Pt, and 0.02 g/t Au and 81.2 meters grading 0.26% Ni, 0.18% Cu, 0.01% Co, 0.33 g.t Pd, 0.14 g/t Pt, and 0.03 g/t Au (refer to Sama’s September 9, 2025 news release).
National Instrument 43-101 Disclosures
Core logging and sampling were performed at Sama’s field facilities. Sample preparations are conducted at the Bureau Veritas Mineral Laboratory in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. Sample pulps will be delivered to Activation Laboratories Ltd, Ancaster and Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada, for assaying. All samples are assayed for Ni, Cu, Co, Fe, S, Pt, Pd and Au using sodium peroxide fusion ICP for the first five elements and by Fire Assay ICPOES for the last three.
A technical report entitled “NI 43-101 Preliminary Economic Assessment for the Samapleu and Grata Deposits Project” with an effective date of March 21, 2024 (the “Technical Report”) with respect to the Samapleu-Grata Nickel-Copper Project was prepared under National Instrument 43-101 and filed on May 3, 2024. The Technical Report includes important information regarding the current Mineral Resources and the 2024 PEA including the effective date of the Mineral Resource estimate, the key assumptions, parameters, and methods used to estimate the Mineral Resources and other factors that could materially affect the potential development of the Mineral Resources. The Technical Report is intended to be read as a whole, and sections should not be read or relied upon out of context.
The 2024 PEA is preliminary in nature and includes Inferred Mineral Resources, considered too speculative in nature to be categorized as mineral reserves. Mineral Resources that are not mineral reserves have not demonstrated economic viability. Additional trenching and/or drilling will be required to convert Inferred Mineral Resources to Indicated or Measured Mineral Resources. There is no certainty that the results of the 2024 PEA will be realized.
The independent Qualified Persons responsible for preparing the 2024 Technical Report include Todd McCracken, P. Geo., Bahareh Asi, P. Eng., Kevan Ford, M. Eng., and Jason Van Schie, P. Eng., each from BBA International Inc., Chris Martin, C. Eng., an Independent Consultant, and Wilson Muir, P. Eng. From Knight Piésold Ltd.
All other scientific and technical information contained in this news release not related to the 2024 PEA has been reviewed, verified, and approved by Dr. Marc-Antoine Audet, P.Geo, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Sama, and a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101. Mr. Audet is not independent of Sama.
About Sama Resources Inc.
Sama is a Canadian-based, growth-oriented resource company focused on exploring the Samapleu nickel-copper project in Côte d’Ivoire, West Africa. The Company is managed by experienced industry professionals with a strong track record of discovery. Sama is committed to advancing the Samapleu-Grata Nickel-Copper Project. Sama’s projects are located approximately 600 km northwest of Abidjan in Côte d’Ivoire and are flanked to the west by the Ivorian and Guinean borders. Sama’s projects are located adjacent to the large world-class nickel-cobalt laterite deposits of Sipilou and Foungouesso, forming a 125 km-long new Base Metal Camp in West Africa. Sama owns 40% interest in the Samapleu nickel-copper project in Côte d’Ivoire with its joint venture partner Ivanhoe Electric owning 60%.
For more information, please visit www.samaresources.com
We are a United States domiciled minerals exploration company with a focus on developing mines from mineral deposits principally located in the United States. We seek to support American supply chain independence by finding and delivering copper and other critical metals vital to advanced manufacturing, infrastructure development, technology, and national security. We use our powerful Typhoon™ geophysical surveying system, together with advanced data analytics provided by our 94.3% owned subsidiary, Computational Geosciences Inc. (“CGI”), to accelerate and de-risk the mineral exploration process as we seek to discover new deposits of critical metals that may otherwise be undetectable by traditional exploration technologies. We believe the United States is significantly underexplored and has the potential to yield major new discoveries of critical metals. Our mineral exploration efforts focus on copper as well as other metals including nickel, cobalt, platinum group elements, gold and silver. Through the advancement of our portfolio of critical metals exploration projects, headlined by the Santa Cruz Copper Project in Arizona, we intend to contribute to domestic supply by developing resources that support industrial and strategic sectors. We also operate a 50/50 joint venture with Saudi Arabian Mining Company ("Maaden") to explore for minerals on approximately 50,000 km2 of underexplored Arabian Shield in Saudi Arabia. Finally, in 2024, we established an exploration alliance with BHP Mineral Resources Inc. (“BHP”), a subsidiary of BHP Group Limited, to search for critical minerals in the United States. In 2026, we entered into a Typhoon™ driven Mineral Exploration and Collaboration Agreement with Sociedad Química y Minera de Chile (“SQM”) in Chile to explore 2,002 km2 of mining concessions for new copper deposits beneath electrically resistive caliche.
Website: www.ivanhoeelectric.com.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Dr. Marc-Antoine Audet, P. Geo, President and CEO
Tel: (514) 726-4158
Mr. Matt Johnston, Vice President Corporate Development
Tel: (604) 443-3835 or (877) 792-6688, Ext. 5
Forward-Looking Statements
Certain of the statements made and information contained in this news release are "forward-looking statements" or “forward-looking information” within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation. Forward-looking statements and forward-looking information, such as “will”, could”, “expect”, “estimate”, “evidence”, “potential”, “appears”, “seems”, “suggest”, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties which could cause actual events or results to differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements or forward-looking information. These statements include, without limitation, statements regarding the declaration of new Project wide mineral resources, the results of exploration activities including drilling, the amount of meters of drilling planned to be completed, the ability of the company to convert Mineral Resources to higher categories of confidence or to mineral reserves, the completion of exploration programs and studies within certain timeframes, and the expected results of exploration activities.
Forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to management. Such statements are subject to significant risks and uncertainties, and actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements due to various factors including because of the availability of financing, the risks and uncertainties relating to the interpretation of drill results and the estimation of Mineral Resources and Reserves, changes in geology, grade and continuity of mineral deposits, the possibility that future exploration, development or mining results will not be consistent with the Company's expectations or justify future activities, metal price fluctuations, environmental and regulatory requirements, availability of permits, escalating costs of remediation and mitigation, risk of title loss or failure to obtain new titles upon expiry, the effects of accidents, equipment breakdowns, labour disputes or other unanticipated difficulties with or interruptions in exploration, the potential for delays in exploration activities due to any of the foregoing, inflation, the inherent uncertainty of cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, commodity price fluctuations, currency fluctuations, the risk of terrorism, political, economic and other uncertainties associated with operating in foreign countries, the impact of any future epidemic or pandemic and the general state of the global economy.
Although the forward-looking statements contained in this news release are based upon what management of the Company believes are reasonable assumptions, the company cannot assure investors that actual results will be consistent with these forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this news release and are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. Subject to applicable securities laws, the Company does not assume any obligation to update or revise the forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect events or circumstances occurring after the date of this news release.
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