Switch Metals Gears Up for Drill Campaign at Issia Following Lithium Discovery

Switch Metals (AIM: SWT) is stepping into a pivotal phase at its flagship Issia Project in Côte d’Ivoire, with plans now in place to accelerate exploration following a promising lithium discovery earlier this year.

The company recently identified lithium-rich spodumene zones grading between 1.00% and 2.58% Li2O, marking a significant breakthrough and confirming the presence of a potentially meaningful hard-rock lithium system.

Multiple Targets Emerging Across the Licence

Follow-up fieldwork has rapidly expanded the opportunity at Issia, with numerous additional lithium and tantalum anomalies now identified across the permit.

These targets are supported by:

• Surface sampling results
• Structural interpretation
• Geological settings consistent with pegmatite-hosted lithium and tantalum systems

Together, this is building a picture of district-scale potential, rather than a single isolated discovery.

Drilling Set to Unlock Scale Potential

Switch Metals is preparing to launch a maiden scout drilling campaign, targeting:

• The Kabore lithium discovery
• Multiple newly identified hard-rock targets

The programme is designed to:

• Test depth continuity beneath surface discoveries
• Refine targeting across the licence
• Assess the true scale of the mineralised system

This marks a key transition from surface exploration into drill-driven value creation.

Dual Commodity Upside: Lithium + Tantalum

While lithium exploration is gaining traction, Issia also hosts a growing tantalum resource story with an MRE expected shortly.

The company is advancing Mineral Resource Estimates (MREs) across its Eluvial, Colluvial and Drainage basin targets

This dual exposure provides diversity with:

• Near-term resource development (tantalum)
• Blue-sky exploration upside (lithium hard rock)

Strategic Interest Building

Switch Metals has also indicated it is in discussions with Strategic Investors and Metals Trading Houses who have approached Switch with a view to supporting the Company's modest capital requirements under potential development scenarios. 

This reflects increasing interest in securing exposure to critical minerals projects, particularly those offering scalable lithium and tantalum potential in favourable jurisdictions and outside of China.

Momentum at the Right Time

With lithium and tantalum markets strengthening in recent months, Switch Metals is continuing its momentum—moving rapidly from discovery to drilling at its lithium prospects whilst advancing its tantalum resource definition and laying the foundations for potential low capex, early production. 

As results begin to flow, Issia has the potential to evolve into a significant district-scale lithium-tantalum project, positioning Switch to capitalise on the ever growing demand for critical minerals.