Ariana Resources (AIM:AAU) said AMC Consultants has begun an independent Mineral Resource Estimate for Dokwe, incorporating roughly 11,000 metres of recent drilling.
The Dokwe Gold Project is Ariana's 100%-owned, 1.6 million ounce gold development in Zimbabwe, and the definitive feasibility study (DFS) due in the first quarter of 2027 is the company's core near-term catalyst.
The update follows a May 2026 pre-feasibility study that lifted Dokwe's ore reserves by roughly 42% to 1.13 million ounces and modelled a post-tax net present value of $740 million.
Alongside the resource work, Ariana is drilling 2,200 metres of water bores north of Dokwe to secure a processing water source, with three holes completed and strong flows encountered in the third.
Metallurgical testwork is under way with Xinhai in China and IMO in Australia, using eight tonnes of samples shipped earlier this month, while geotechnical drilling has wrapped up at Dokwe Central to support open-pit planning there.
Ariana also plans 2,300 metres of infrastructure-area sterilisation drilling from early October, plus an aeromagnetic and LiDAR survey to guide future exploration.
The company noted that only 3km of the 13km of prospective shear zones across the project area have been drilled to date.
"We are making excellent headway with the Feasibility Study programme for the Dokwe Gold Project in Zimbabwe on several very active fronts," said Managing Director Dr Kerim Sener, adding that a revised Ore Reserve statement is expected towards the end of the year, including Dokwe Central for the first time.