Robex Reports Q3 2024 Results

Highlights:

FINANCING – STRONG BALANCE SHEET (FIRST NINE MONTHS OF 2024)

• Net debt (cash) position stood at $(32.3) million as of September 30, 2024.
• Operating income was $33.3 million, representing an increase of 26.6% compared to $26.3 million for the same period in 2023, attributable to an improving gold price environment and cost optimization.
• Operating cash flow remained positive at $25.5 million, a decrease of 26% compared to $34.4 million in 2023.

KINIERO – ON TRACK FOR Q4 2025

• Project Update: project engineering 38.5% complete. Tailing Storage Facility feasibility drawings finalized and clearing, grubbing and topsoil has commenced. Primary crushing area concrete commenced, CIL ring beams, poured and 48 out 50 mechanical equipment packages issued for tender, 15 have been technically evaluated and are ready for order placement. Ball Mill Fabrication is progressing on schedule with delivery expected in March 2025. The project remains on track to pour first gold in Q4 2025. The formal decision to proceed with construction for the revised site development program is expected to be made in the coming months.
• Feasibility Study: Updated resources will be published in Q4 and the full feasibility alongside the listing on the ASX early into the new year.
• In-fill drilling: In-fill program at Mansounia is completed and is being incorporated to the updated resources.

NAMPALA – COSTS DOWN

• Safety of operations: Nampala accumulated is Loss Time Injury ("LTI") free since 2020 with 1 million man hours worked.
  
  Gold production for the first nine months of 2024 reached 35,752 ounces, representing a 5% decrease compared to the same period in 2023. The All-In Sustaining Cost ("AISC") per ounce of gold sold1 was $1,221, down 4% from the same period in 2023, with lower strip ratio of 1.8x (vs 2.9x in 2023) compensating the 2.2% recovery loss.

QUEBEC CITY, Dec. 02, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Robex Resources Inc. ("Robex" or the "Company") (TSXV: RBX) today reports operational and financial results for the third quarter ending September 30th, 2024 ("Q3 2024").

Matthew Wilcox, Managing Director: "Kiniero is advancing quickly with the key members of the construction team now mobilized. Key workstreams are running in parallel to meet our first pour target in Q4 2025. We will be releasing frequent updates to the market as the construction progresses. We are maintaining our safety record with now 678 days LTI free for the Group despite a significant ramp-up on site in Guinea. At Nampala, production and costs are in line with our budget to match our 2024 guidance."

CURRENCY

Unless otherwise indicated, all references to "$" in this news release are to Canadian dollars. References to "US$" in this news release are to U.S. dollars.

OPERATIONAL AND FINANCIAL SUMMARY

QUARTERLY REVIEW

In the third quarter of 2024, gold production reached 10,031 ounces, representing a 25% decrease compared to 13,375 ounces produced in the third quarter of 2023. This decline was mainly due to extended maintenance shutdowns for critical equipment. Gold sales generated revenues of $38.1 million, marking a 5.2% increase compared to the same period in 2023, driven by a higher realized average gold price of $3,271 per ounce, up from $2,568 in 2023. However, the number of ounces sold decreased from 14,090 to 11,635, reflecting the drop in production. Although 472.58 ounces from the last September shipment, sold in early October, could have helped narrow this gap.

Mining operating income for the third quarter amounted to $15.5 million, a 15.7% decrease compared to 2023. This drop was due to higher depreciation charges following the revision of the Nampala mine's estimated lifespan, now projected until June 2026. Despite this, operating income remained stable at $10.1 million, supported by a 30.3% reduction in administrative expenses.

Net income for the third quarter reached $22.5 million, compared to $6.8 million for the same period in 2023. This variance was primarily due to a positive $12.6 million change in the fair value of warrants, reducing financial liabilities. Additionally, the company recorded a $9.6 million gain from reversing a tax provision following the finalization of an agreement with the Government of Mali. However, these gains were partially offset by a $5.6 million write-off of deferred financing costs.

NINE MONTHS REVIEW

For the nine-month period ending September 30, 2024, gold production totaled 35,752 ounces, a 4.7% decline compared to 37,520 ounces produced in the same period in 2023. Gold sales revenue reached $116.6 million, an 18.3% increase, attributed to higher average selling prices per ounce. The number of ounces sold remained stable at 37,857 in 2024 compared to 37,830 in 2023.

For the nine months ending September 30, 2024, mining operating income was $50.7 million, reflecting a 2.3% increase compared to the same period in 2023. However, this period resulted in a net loss of $9.8 million, compared to net income of $18.7 million in 2023. This loss was primarily due to the write-off of deferred financing costs of $5.6 million, warrant issuance costs of $4.1 million, and a $3.1 million foreign exchange loss. Additionally, the tax expense for the nine-month period reached $35.4 million, compared to $6.3 million in 2023, reflecting the impacts of the tax agreement with the Government of Mali.

CASH FLOWS

Cash flows from operating activities were negative at $(7.9) million in Q3 2024, due to the reduction in accounts payable, which decreased from $64.2 million as of June 30, 2024, to $31.7 million as of September 30, 2024. This reduction is directly related to the settlement of the tax contingency provision as part of the agreement with the Government of Mali.

Management, advised by TerraFranca, is in advanced negotiations to secure up to $175.7 million in new credit facilities from international lenders. These funds are intended to support strategic initiatives, including the development of the Guinea project.

LIQUIDITY AND BALANCE SHEET

The Group's cash position increased from $12.2 million as of December 31, 2023, to $70.5 million as of September 30, 2024.

Net debt1 stood at $(32.3) million as of September 30, 2024, decreasing from $46.6 million as of December 31, 2023.

SUMMARY OF Q3 2024 FINANCIAL RESULTS

(1)   Non-IFRS financial measure, non-IFRS ratio or supplementary financial measure. Please refer to the “Non-IFRS and Other Financial Measures” section of this press release for definitions of these measures and their reconciliation to the most directly comparable IFRS measure, as applicable.

DETAILED INFORMATION

We strongly recommend that readers consult Robex's Management's Discussion and Analysis and Consolidated Financial Statements for the third quarter ended September 30th, 2024, which are available on Robex's website at www.robexgold.com and under the Company’s profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca for a more complete discussion of the Company’s operational and financial results.

NON-IFRS AND OTHER FINANCIAL MEASURES

The Company's consolidated financial statements for the period ended September 30th, 2024, available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, are prepared in accordance with IFRS Accounting Standards ("IFRS") as issued by the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB).

However, the Company also discloses the following non-IFRS financial measures, non-IFRS financial ratios and supplementary financial measures in this news release, for which there is no definition in IFRS: adjusted net income attributable to common shareholders, all-in sustaining cost and net debt (non-IFRS financial measures); adjusted net income attributable to common shareholders per share, all-in sustaining cost per ounce of gold sold (non-IFRS ratios); and cash flow from operating activities per share, average realized selling price per ounce of gold sold and total cash cost per ounce of gold sold (supplementary financial measures). The Company's management believes that these measures provide additional insight into the Company’s operating performance and trends and facilitate comparisons across reporting periods. However, the non-IFRS measures disclosed in this news release do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS, they may not be comparable to similar measures presented by other companies. Accordingly, they are intended to provide additional information to investors and other stakeholders and should not be considered in isolation from, confused with or construed as a substitute for performance measures calculated according to IFRS.

These non-IFRS financial measures and ratios and supplementary financial measures and non-financial information are explained in more detail below and in the "Non-IFRS and Other Financial Measures" section of the Company’s Management's Discussion and Analysis for the period ended September 30th, 2024 ("MD&A"), which is incorporated by reference in this news release, filed with securities regulatory authorities in Canada, available under the Company's profile on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca and on the Company's website at www.robexgold.com. Reconciliations and calculations between non-IFRS financial measures and the most comparable IFRS measures are set out below in the "Reconciliations and Calculations" section of this news release.

RECONCILIATIONS AND CALCULATIONS

Total cash cost (per ounce of gold sold)

Total cash cost per ounce of gold sold is a supplementary financial measure. This measure is calculated by dividing the sum of operating expenses and mining royalties by the number of ounces of gold sold. These expenses include:

• Operating and maintenance supplies and services;
• Fuel;
• Reagent;
• Employee benefits expenses;
• Change in inventory;
• Less: production costs capitalized as stripping costs; and
• Transportation costs.

Management uses this ratio to establish the profitability of mining operations, considering operating expenses in relation to the number of ounces of gold sold.

All-in sustaining cost (AISC) (per ounce of gold sold)

AISC is a non-IFRS financial measure. AISC includes cash operating costs plus sustaining capital expenditures and stripping costs per ounce of gold sold. The Company has classified its sustaining capital expenditures which are required to maintain existing operations and capitalized stripping costs. AISC is a broad measure of cash costs, providing more information on total cash outflows, capital expenditures and overhead costs per unit. It is intended to reflect the costs associated with producing the Company's principal metal, gold, in the short term and over the life cycle of its operations.

AISC per ounce of gold sold is a non-IFRS ratio. AISC per ounce of gold sold is calculated by adding the total cash cost, which is the sum of mining operating expenses and mining royalties, to sustaining capital expenditures and then dividing by the number of ounces of gold sold. The Company reports AISC per ounce of gold sold to provide investors with information on the main measures used by management to monitor the performance of the Nampala Mine in commercial production and its ability to generate a positive cash flow.

The table below provides a reconciliation of AISC for the current period and the comparative period to the most directly comparable financial measure in the financial statements: "mining operating expenses".