Desert Gold Outlines Phase 1 Exploration Plans at its Tiegba Gold Project in Ivory Coast

Delta, British Columbia–(Newsfile Corp. – September 19, 2025) – Desert Gold Ventures Inc. (TSXV: DAU) (FSE: QXR2) (OTCQB: DAUGF) (the “Company”) is pleased to announce its upcoming exploration plans at its recently acquired 297km² Tiegba gold project located in Ivory Coast. Phase 1 exploration will combine surface work, including mapping and geochemistry, and high resolution drone aeromagnetic survey along with wide spaced air core drilling.

Desert Gold’s CEO Jared Scharf commented “We’re very excited to get back on the ground and start work at the Tiegba gold project. Based on historic data and what we saw on the ground during our due diligence site visits, the Tiegba project appears to be poised for a new discovery. The primary objectives of this program is to drill test the main gold anomaly along the north-east trending shear corridor while other surface exploration work will focus on broadening the scope of the Tiegba project on lesser explored parts of the tenement.”

Tiegba Project Highlights

• District-Scale Structural Potential: Over 10 kilometers of prospective NE-trending shear corridors mapped, with multiple jogs and bends favorable for gold concentration.

• Tier-1 gold district, Proven Regional Analogy: Geological setting shares strong similarities with the Bonikro-Agbaou mine complex, supporting the potential for large-scale orogenic gold systems.

• Multi-Dataset Convergence: Coherent gold-in-soil anomalies coinciding with magnetic lineaments and structural features, enhancing confidence in target definition.

• Multiple Gold Trap Styles Identified: Project covers a largely untested segment of a fertile gold belt with a presence of shear-hosted lodes, dilation zones, and lithological contacts, providing significant upside through early-stage exploration.

• Target Model; Greenstone shear and Intrusion-hosted deposits (vein & disseminated)

The Tiegba Project represents a highly prospective but underexplored license situated along the Tehini Shear Zone, a regionally significant structure within a gold belt that hosts more than 7 million ounces of known endowment (Figure 2). Despite strong surface anomalies and clear structural controls, the project has never been drill tested, underscoring the opportunity for first-mover discovery.

The 2025-2026 program is designed to advance Tiegba from early-stage mapping toward drill-defined targets, with the primary objective of validating a multi-kilometre mineralized system capable of supporting a large-scale gold deposit. Total costs for the upcoming work will be $535,000 (USD) (Table 1). The current scheduled plan is outlined in Figure 1.

Upcoming Exploration Program Summary

Phase 1a – Surface Work (Q4 2025-Q2 2026)

Phase 1 will include ~3,500 soil samples to refine historical soil anomalies and expand grids across priority areas. This will be supported by geological and regolith mapping over the 297 km² permit, focusing on high-priority zones to establish a structural framework, transport pathways, and access routes. Up to 500 rock samples will be collected to validate anomalies, while ~500 metres of grooving will expose near-surface structures and provide channel samples to confirm grade continuity (Figure 4).

Phase 1b – Drone Geophysics and AC drilling (Q1 2026-Q2 2026)

A UAV-based magnetic survey covering ~164 line-kilometres will be flown over the main northeast corridor, with a focus on the Tehini Shear Zone. The orientation of the survey will be perpendicular to the Tehini Shear Zone at a 50 m spacing (Figure 4). This program will map structural features and magnetic lithologies, integrating results with soils and drilling to refine and rank targets. Outcomes will include a stronger structural model and higher-confidence drill planning by mid-2026.

Following up on the Soils and UAV drone mag, will be a ~3500m Aircore (AC) drilling campaign to test any soil and auger anomalies that also coincide with the updated magnetic data (Figure 3).

Outlook (Next Steps) – RC Drilling (Q2/Q3 2026)

Upon reviewing the successes of the surficial work, updated Mag data, and AC drilling, this will be followed by target delineation and a ~2,500 metres of reverse circulation drilling to step out from positive intercepts and test continuity at depth. By the first half of 2026, This next step is expected to deliver validated targets and detailed collar plans for the next stage of resource drilling.

Table 1. Proposed Phase 1 Exploration Budget

Figure 1. Phased work Program Timeline

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Figure 2. Tiegba License Regional Scale Planview Map

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Figure 3. Tiegba Planview highlighting Anomalous Gold Trends with Proposed AC lines (red)

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Figure 4. Teigba Plan View with Proposed Soils and Drone Mag survey areas

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On Behalf of the Board

“Jared Scharf”
___________________________
Jared Scharf
President & CEO

Qualified Person Statement

The scientific and technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Ty Magee (M.Sc., P. Geo), a Qualified Person as defined by National Instrument 43-101 Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects. Mr. Magee is an advisor and consultant to Desert Gold Ventures and is considered independent of the Company.

About Desert Gold

Desert Gold Ventures Inc. is a gold exploration and development company which controls the 440 km² SMSZ Project in Western Mali containing Measured and Indicated Mineral Resources of 8.47 million tonnes grading 1.14 g/t gold totaling 310,300 ounces and Inferred Mineral Resources of 20.7 million tonnes grading 1.16 g/t gold totaling 769,200 ounces. For further information please visit www.SEDAR.com under the company’s profile. Website: www.desertgold.ca

Contact

References

¹ Allied Gold Corporation. (2024). Annual Information Form and Technical Summary – 2024 (pp. 42-44). Retrieved from https://www.alliedgold.com/files/documents/Allied-Gold-AIF-2024.pdf
²Perseus Mining Limited. (2024, August). Annual Resource and Reserve Statement – FY2024. Retrieved from https://perseusmining.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/FY24-Resource-Reserve-Update.pdf
³Thor Explorations Ltd. (September 16, 2024). “Thor Explorations Announces the Acquisition of the Guitry Project and Expansion into Côte d’Ivoire”

This news release contains forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements entail various risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those reflected in these forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on current expectations, are subject to a number of uncertainties and risks, and actual results may differ materially from those contained in such statements. These uncertainties and risks include, but are not limited to, the strength of the capital markets, the price of gold; operational, funding, liquidity risks, the degree to which Mineral Resource estimates are reflective of actual Mineral Resources, the degree to which factors which would make a mineral deposit commercially viable, and the risks and hazards associated with mining operations. Risks and uncertainties about the Company’s business are more fully discussed in the company’s disclosure materials filed with the securities regulatory authorities in Canada and available at www.sedar.com and readers are urged to read these materials. The Company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from such statements unless required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its regulation services provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy the securities described herein in the United States. The securities described herein have not been and will not be registered under the United States securities act of 1933, as amended, and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to the account or benefit of a U.S. person absent an exemption from the registration requirements of such act.

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