Toronto-listed Galiano Gold on Monday announced that it had acquired ABG Mali Exploration from a subsidiary of major miner Barrick Gold for $1.5-million.

The property, in southwest Mali near the Senegal border, covers 167 km2 and includes four exploration licences.

“Acquiring the ABG Mali properties is a small, but meaningful step for Galiano. We believe that the properties have a lot of promise including several attractive intercepts from previous drilling,” said CEO Greg McCunn.

“Including Asumura, we now have two greenfield projects, both of which are located in prospective geological regions.”

The ABG Mali property is located on the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, host to established gold deposits, including Loulo-Gounkoto and Fekola to the south and Sadiola and Yatela to the north.

Galiano currently operates and manages the Asanko gold mine, which is jointly owned with Gold Fields in Ghana.