New drilling at African Copper's Dukwe project in Botswana has met encouraging intersections of 6.44 per cent copper over 9.33 metres.

AIM-quoted African Copper suggests this high-grade intersection coincides with 'a new... zone of mineralisation that extends for more than 200 metres of strike and 300 metres vertically'. The drilling results also show 2.98 per cent copper over 18.7 metres within a broader intersection of 1.14 per cent copper over 95.21 metres.

The company, also listed on the Toronto and Botswana exchanges, says it expects to start building a mine at Dukwe this year, which will need funding. At 53.5p, up 7p this morning, the shares' appeal is speculative.