employees, the disruption of the respective ongoing businesses or inconsistencies in standards, controls, procedures and policies that adversely affect the ability of management to maintain relationships with customers, suppliers, employees or to achieve the anticipated benefits of the acquisition. Any inability of management to successfully integrate the operations could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition and results of operations.
Risks of Operating in West Africa
Certain of our operations are currently conducted in West Africa, with the Yaramoko Mine in Burkina Faso and the Séguéla Project in Côte d’Ivoire, and as such as is common in other mining jurisdictions, the Company’s operations are exposed to various political, economic, and other risks and uncertainties. The Company is subject to risks associated with operating in West Africa with its Yaramoko Mine in Burkina Faso and the Séguéla Project in Côte d’Ivoire. These risks and uncertainties include but are not limited to: civil and ethnic unrest, war (including in neighbouring countries), terrorist actions, hostage taking or detainment of personnel, military repression, criminal activity, nationalization, invalidation of governmental orders, failure to enforce existing laws, labour disputes, corruption, sovereign risk, political instability, the failure of foreign parties, courts or governments to honour or enforce contractual relations or uphold property rights, changing government regulations with respect to mining (including royalties, environmental requirements, labour, taxation, land tenure, foreign investments, income repatriation, and capital recovery), fluctuations in currency exchange and inflation rates, import and export restrictions, the expropriation of assets and property interests, as well as by laws and policies of Canada affecting foreign trade, investment and taxation.
As African governments continue to struggle with deficits and depressed economies, the strength of commodity prices has resulted in the gold mining sector being targeted as a source of revenue. Governments are continually assessing the terms for a mining company to exploit resources in their country.
Operations may also be impacted to varying degrees by the lack of certainty with respect to foreign legal systems, which may not be immune from the influence of political pressure, corruption, or other factors that are inconsistent with the rule of law. Businesses can become involved in lengthy court cases over simple issues when rulings are not clearly defined, and the poor drafting of laws and excessive delays in the legal process for resolving issues or disputes compound such problems.
Any of the above events could delay or prevent the Company from operating, developing, or exploring its properties even if economic quantities of minerals are found and could have a material adverse impact upon the Company’s operations.
Safety and Security
The Company’s Yaramoko Mine is located in Burkina Faso and the advanced exploration Séguéla Gold Project is located in in Côte d’Ivoire. Following instability in recent years in several West African countries, the prevailing security environment in these countries has deteriorated due to the presence of various militant secessionist and Islamist paramilitary groups, as well as the result of the January and September 2022 military coups in Burkina Faso. While additional measures have been implemented in response to ensure the security of its various assets, personnel, and contractors, and the Company continues to cooperate with regional governments, their security forces, and third parties, there can be no assurance that these measures will be successful. Any failure to maintain the security of its assets, personnel, and contractors may have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, prospects, financial condition, and results of operations. To date, neither employees nor operations have been impacted by the security situation in Burkina Faso.
While there is no reason to believe that the Company’s employees or operations will be targeted by criminal and/or terrorist activities in the countries in which we operate, risks associated with conducting business in the region, along with the increased perception that such incidents are likely to occur, may disrupt the Company’s operations, limit its ability to hire and keep qualified personnel, and impair its access to sources of capital or insurance on terms and at rates that are commercially viable. Furthermore, although the Company has developed procedures regarding the mitigation of such