23rd May 2016 07:00
Sovereign Mines of Africa PLC
("SMA" or "the Company")
Sovereign Mines of Africa PLC (AIM:SML), the gold mining exploration Company with properties in the Republic of Guinea in West Africa, today announces its audited results for the year ended 31 December 2015.
Enquiries:
SOVEREIGN MINES OF AFRICA PLC
Giles Clarke - Chairman c/o Billy Clegg +44 20 3757 6983
Nathan Steinberg - Finance Director +44 20 7269 7680
SHORE CAPITAL - NOMINATED ADVISER & BROKER
Toby Gibbs/Bidhi Bhoma - Corporate Finance
Jerry Keen - Corporate Broking +44 207 408 4090
CAMARCO
Billy Clegg / Gordon Poole +44 20 3757 6983
SOVEREIGN MINES OF AFRICA PLC
CHAIRMAN'S STATEMENT
In the Chairman's Statement last year, my predecessor announced that the Board had been seeking a strategic partner to fund the necessary and contingent expenditure to advance the Mandiana Gold Project to a definitive feasibility study. Although the discussions continued throughout the whole of the last financial year, unfortunately nothing came to fruition. The Board is still continuing discussions with potential partners but to date no agreement has been concluded.
As a result, due to the potential uncertainty your Board has considered it prudent to impair the value of the Group's exploration assets in full.
There will be a loss in the year of £1,417,875 compared with £3,879,625 in 2014, which includes an impairment of £1,278,059.
On 30 December 2015 Rupert Fraser and I joined the Board and invested in the business to provide it with additional funding. We are currently conducting a strategic review on the company's assets and activities with a view to enhancing shareholder value and will outline our vision and strategy for the business when a suitable opportunity arises. As we stated on 30 December 2015 our plans for the business may well involve the pursuit of an acquisition which would trigger a reverse takeover under the AIM Rules.
As a result of the recent fundraising, the company had cash resources of approximately £477,000 at 30 April 2016 which will provide sufficient finance to cover the company's ongoing expenditure for the foreseeable future.
C G Clarke
(Chairman)
20 May 2016
SOVEREIGN MINES OF AFRICA PLC
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Year ended 31 December 2015
2015 | 2014 |
| |||||||||
Note | £ | £ |
| ||||||||
Administrative costs |
| ||||||||||
Impairment of intangible fixed assets |
|
(1,278,059) |
(3,694,352) |
| |||||||
Other administrative expenses | (140,373) | (185,027) |
| ||||||||
(1,418,432) | (3,879,379) |
| |||||||||
Losses on financial assets at fair value
|
|
- |
(2,086) |
| |||||||
Finance income | 557 | 1,840 |
| ||||||||
|
|
| |||||||||
Loss on ordinary activities before taxation |
|
(1,417,875) |
(3,879,625) |
| |||||||
| |||||||||||
Taxation | 3 | - | - |
| |||||||
Loss for the year | (1,417,875) | (3,879,625) |
| ||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Other comprehensive income | - | - |
| ||||||||
Total comprehensive loss for the year |
(1,417,875) |
(3,879,625) |
| ||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Loss for the period and Total comprehensive loss attributable to: |
| ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
Owners of the parent | (1,417,875) | (3,879,625) |
| ||||||||
Non-controlling interest | - | - |
| ||||||||
(1,417,875) | (3,879,625) |
| |||||||||
| |||||||||||
Loss per ordinary share (pence) From continuing operations: basic and diluted |
4 |
(0.45)p |
(1.31)p |
| |||||||
.
SOVEREIGN MINES OF AFRICA PLC
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
Year ended 31 December 2015
Share Capital | Share Premium | Reconstruction Reserve | Share based payment reserve | Profit & Loss Account | Total | |
£ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
Balance at 1 January 2015 | 3,108,589 | 5,099,544 | (586,100) | 14,454 | (6,286,097) | 1,350,390 |
Loss and total comprehensive income for the year |
- |
- |
- |
(1,417,875) |
(1,417,875) | |
Share-based payment expense |
- |
-
|
- |
12,236 |
- |
12,236 |
Issue of shares, net of share issue costs |
55,000 |
463,976 |
- |
- |
- |
518,976 |
Balance at 31 December 2015 |
3,163,589 |
5,563,520 |
(586,100) |
26,690 |
(7,703,972) |
463,727 |
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
Year ended 31 December 2014
Share Capital | Share Premium | Reconstruction Reserve | Share based payment reserve | Profit & Loss Account | Total | |
£ | £ | £ | £ | £ | £ | |
Balance at 1 January 2014 | 2,483,589 | 5,099,544 | (586,100) | 3,478 | (2,367,112) | 4,633,399 |
Loss and total comprehensive income for the year |
- |
- |
- |
(3,879,625) |
(3,879,625) | |
Share-based payment expense |
- |
-
|
- |
10,976 |
- |
10,976 |
Issue of shares, net of share issue costs |
625,000 |
- |
- |
- |
(39,360) |
585,640 |
Balance at 31 December 2014 |
3,108,589 |
5,099,544 |
(586,100) |
14,454 |
(6,286,097) |
1,350,390 |
The Reconstruction Reserve represents the difference between the investment in the subsidiary and the share capital in the subsidiary on acquisition.
SOVEREIGN MINES OF AFRICA PLC
(registered in England & Wales with company number 07139678)
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION
As at 31 December 2015
2015 | 2014 | |||
Note | £ | £ | ||
NON CURRENT ASSETS Intangible assets |
5 |
-
|
1,158,898
| |
- | 1,158,898 | |||
CURRENT ASSETS | ||||
Cash at bank | 501,170 | 249,951 | ||
501,170 | 249,951 | |||
TOTAL ASSETS | 501,170 | 1,408,849 | ||
LIABILITIES | ||||
CURRENT LIABILITIES Trade and other payables |
|
37,443 |
58,459 | |
TOTAL LIABILITIES | 37,443 | 58,459 | ||
NET ASSETS | 463,727 | 1,350,390 | ||
SHAREHOLDERS EQUITY | ||||
Share capital | 6 | 3,163,589 | 3,108,589 | |
Share premium account | 5,563,520 | 5,099,544 | ||
Reconstruction reserve | (586,100) | (586,100) | ||
Share-based payment reserve | 7 | 26,690 | 14,454 | |
Profit and loss account | (7,703,972) | (6,286,097) | ||
TOTAL EQUITY ATTRIBUTABLE TO OWNERS OF THE PARENT |
463,727 |
1,350,390 |
SOVEREIGN MINES OF AFRICA PLC
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CASH FLOWS
Year ended 31 December 2015
2015 |
2014 | |||
£ | £ | |||
Cash flows from operating activities | ||||
Loss before taxation | (1,417,875) | (3,879,625) | ||
Impairment losses on intangible assets | 1,278,059 | 3,694,352 | ||
Realised losses on financial assets at fair value | - | 2,086 | ||
Share-based payment expense | 12,236 | 10,976 | ||
Increase/(decrease) in trade and other payables | (21,016) | 5,409 | ||
Net cash flows generated by/(used in) operating activities |
(148,596) |
(166,802) | ||
Cash flows from investing activities | ||||
Purchase of intangible fixed assets
| (119,161) | (354,345) | ||
Net cash used in investing activities | (267,757)
| (521,147)
| ||
Cash flows from financing activities | ||||
Issue of shares, net of share issue costs
Net cash flows from financing activities | 518,976
518,976
| 585,640
585,640 | ||
Increase/(decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of year
Cash and cash equivalents at end of year |
251,219
249,951
501,170 |
64,493
185,458
249,951 |
SOVEREIGN MINES OF AFRICA PLC
Notes to the final results
Year ended 31 December 2015
1. BASIS OF PREPARATION
The financial information set out in this announcement does not constitute the Group's statutory financial statements for the years ended 31 December 2015 or 2014 but is derived from those financial statements. Statutory financial statements for 2014 have been delivered to the Registrar of Companies, and those for 2015 will be delivered in due course.
The auditors have reported on the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2015; their report was unqualified and did not contain statements under section 498 (2) or (3) of the Companies Act 2006.
While the financial information included in this announcement has been prepared in accordance with the recognition and measurement criteria of International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) as endorsed for use in the European Union, this announcement does not itself contain sufficient information to comply with IFRSs.
The principal accounting policies adopted in the preparation of the financial information in this announcement are set out in the Company's full financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2015 and are consistent with those adopted in the financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2014.
The Directors do not recommend the payment of a dividend (2014: nil).
The Board approved this announcement on 20 May 2016.
2. OPERATING SEGMENTS
Operating Segments are based on internal reports about components of the Group, which are regularly reviewed by the Chairman being the Chief Operating Decision Makers ("CODM") for strategic decision making and resource allocation in order to allocate resources to the segment and to assess its performance.
The group undertakes only one business activity as described in the Director's report. All transactions between each reportable segment are accounted for using the same accounting policies as the Group uses, as set out in note 3. Accordingly, the Group's operating segments have been determined based on geographical areas.
The Group has not generated revenue during the either of the years ended 31 December 2015 or 31 December 2014.
The Group's results by reportable segment are as follows:
Year ended 31 December 2015
UK £ | Guinea £ | Group £ | |
RESULTS | |||
Operating loss | (140,373) | (1,278,059) | (1,418,432) |
Interest income | 557 | - | 557 |
Year ended 31 December 2014
UK £ | Guinea £ | Group £ | |
RESULTS | |||
Operating loss | (181,523) | (3,698,856) | (3,880,379) |
Interest income | 1,840 | - | 1,840 |
All transactions between each reportable segment are accounted for using the same accounting policies as the Group uses, as set out in note 3. The Group's assets and liabilities by reportable segment are as follows:-
At 31 December 2015
UK £ | Guinea £ | Group £ | |
ASSETS Cash
|
501,013 |
157 |
501,170 |
Total assets | 249,795 | 1,159,054 | 1,408,849 |
UK £ | Guinea £ | Group £ | |
LIABILITIES | |||
Total liabilities | 37,443 | - | 37,443 |
At 31 December 2014
UK £ | Guinea £ | Group £ | |
ASSETS Cash Intangible Assets |
249,794 - |
157 1,158,898 |
249,951 1,158,898 |
Total assets | 249,794 | 1,159,055 | 1,408,849 |
UK £ | Guinea £ | Group £ | |
LIABILITIES | |||
Total liabilities | 58,459 | - | 58,459 |
3. TAXATION
Analysis of the tax charge |
| |||||
2015 £ | 2014 £ |
| ||||
Current tax: Tax |
- |
- |
| |||
| ||||||
Total tax charge in income statement | - | - |
| |||
Reconciliation of the tax charge
2015 £ |
2014 £ | |||
Loss before tax | (1,417,245) | (3,861,625) | ||
Loss before tax multiplied by standard rate of corporation tax in the UK of 20% (2014: 21%) | (283,449) | (810,941) | ||
Effects of: | ||||
Non-deductible costs | 258,057 | 775,814 | ||
Deferred tax not provided | 25,392 | 35,127 | ||
Total tax charge in income statement | - | - | ||
A deferred tax asset has not been recognised in respect of deductible temporary differences relating to losses carried forward at the year end, as there is insufficient evidence that taxable profits will be available in the foreseeable future against which the deductible temporary difference can be utilised. The amount of the asset not recognised is £547,306 (2014: £521,914). The asset would be recovered if the Group made taxable profits in future years.
4. LOSS PER SHARE
Basic earnings per share is calculated by dividing the earnings attributable to ordinary shareholders by the weighted average number of ordinary shares outstanding during the period.
2015
|
2014
| |
Weighted average number of ordinary shares in issue | 312,363,590 | 296,646,521 |
Loss after taxation | £(1,417,245) | £(3,879,625) |
Loss per share (pence) | (0.45)p | (1.31)p |
======= | ======= |
Due to there being a loss during the period there are no dilutive transactions and therefore no diluted loss per share has been presented.
5. INTANGIBLE ASSETS
Exploration costs £ | ||
Group | ||
Cost | ||
At 1 January 2014 | 4,608,531 | |
Additions | 363,572 | |
At 31 December 2014 | 4,972,103 | |
Additions | 119,161 | |
At 31 December 2015 | 5,091,264 | |
Impairment | ||
At 1 January 2014 | 118,853 | |
Provided in the year | 3,694,352 | |
At 31 December 2014 | 3,813,205 | |
Provided in the year | 1,278,059 | |
At 31 December 2015 | 5,091,264 | |
Net Book Value | ||
At 31 December 2015 | - ====== | |
At 31 December 2014 |
1,158,898 |
Exploration activities are deferred until a reasonable assessment can be made of the existence or otherwise of economically recoverable reserves. The directors have reviewed the carrying value of the exploration assets and an impairment provision has been made to reflect their expected recoverable value, in the light of discussions with potential strategic partners.
Impairment costs are included under "Administrative expenses" in the Consolidated Statement of Comprehensive Income.
6. SHARE CAPITAL
a) Share Capital
The Company has one class of ordinary shares which carry no right to fixed income nor have any preferences or restrictions attached.
Issued and fully paid:
2015 | 2014 | |||||
£ | £ | |||||
| ||||||
310,858,850 Ordinary shares of £0.01 each | - | 3,108,589 |
| |||
860,858,850 Ordinary shares of £0.001 each | 86,086 | - |
| |||
310,858,850 Deferred shares of £0.099 | 3,077,503 | - |
| |||
------------ | ------------- |
| ||||
3,163,589 | 3,108,589 |
| ||||
======= | ======= |
| ||||
| ||||||
b)
b) Share issues during the year
Number of shares | Share Capital £ | Share premium £ | Total
£ | ||
At 1 January 2015 | 310,858,850 | 3,108,589 | 5,099,544 | 8,208,133 | |
Issued in the year | |||||
- Ordinary shares | 550,000,000 | 55,000 | 463,976 | 518,976 | |
- Deferred shares | 310,858,850 | - | - | - | |
At 31 December 2015 | 1,171,717,700 | 3,163,589 | 5,563,520 | 8,727,109 |
On 30 June 2015, the company's share capital was subdivided from 310,858,850 ordinary shares of £0.01 each into 310,850,858 ordinary shares of £0.0001 each and 310,858,850 deferred shares of £0.099 each.
The ordinary shares carry no right to fixed income nor have any preferences or restrictions attached. The deferred shares carry no voting or dividend rights. Deferred shareholders are entitled to receive the amount paid up or credited as paid up on their respective holdings of deferred shares only after there has been paid on each ordinary share the nominal amount paid up on such share plus a further £1 per ordinary share. The holders of the deferred shares shall not be entitled to participate further in any distribution of the assets or the capital of the Company.
On 30 December 2015, the company raised additional working capital of £550,000 through a placing of 550,000,000 new ordinary shares with new and existing investors at a price of 0.1p each.
7. SHARE-BASED PAYMENTS
The Company has an unapproved share option scheme under which options to subscribe for the Company's shares have been granted to two directors. The vesting condition is the number of years' service. The share options currently in existence were granted and are exercisable as follows:
Date Granted | Exercise Price | Number of shares | Period exercisable | |
28 June 2013 | £0.03 | 3,000,000 | Between 28 June 2013 and 28 June 2018 | |
18 November 2013 | £0.03 | 3,000,000 | Between 18 November 2014 and 18 November 2018 | |
30 December 2015 | £0.001 | 125,000,000 | Upon execution of a reverse takeover by the Company
| |
30 December 2015 | £0.001 | 125,000,000 | On 30 December 2020
| |
256,000,000 | ||||
At the year-end the market value of the Company's shares was 0.29p per share. The highest price during the year was 1.29p and the lowest price was 0.14p.
The number and weighted average exercise prices of share options are as follows:
Exercise price (pence) | Number of options | ||
Granted in the year | 0.1 | 250,000,000 | |
_________ | |||
Outstanding at year-end | 0.17 | 256,000,000 | |
_________ | |||
Exercisable at year-end | 3.0 | 6,000,000 | |
_________ |
The share-based payment charge relating to the share options granted to directors amounted to £10,976 (2014: £10,976).
The estimated fair values of options which fall under IFRS 2, and the inputs used in the Black-Scholes model to calculate those fair values, are as follows:
Date of grant | Estimated fair value pence | Share price pence | Exercise price Pence | Expected volatility (%) | Expected Life (yrs) | Vesting period (yrs) | Risk free rate (%) | Expected dividends (%) |
28.6.13 | 0.936 | 1.375 | 3.0 | 22 | 5 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 |
18.11.13 | 35 | 51 | 3.0 | 22 | 6 | 6 | 0.5 | 0 |
30.12.15 | 0.23 | 0.24 | 0.1 | 56 | 5 | 5 | 0.5 | 0 |
Expected volatility was determined by calculating the standard deviation of daily continuously compounded returns of the Company's share price calculated back from the date of grant. The expected life used in the model has been adjusted, based on management's best estimate, for the effects of non-transferability, exercise restrictions, and behavioral considerations.
8. TRANSACTIONS WITH RELATED PARTIES
N A Steinberg, part-time Finance Director, is a partner in Munslows LLP, a firm of Chartered Certified Accountants. That firm charged fees of £20,000 (2014: £30,000) excluding VAT to the Group in respect of professional services in the period. Of the fees charged, £10,000 (2014: £15,000) was outstanding at year end and has been included in trade and other payables.
Payments of £15,533 (2014: £64,826) in respect of exploration costs were made to Irus Consulting Limited, a company in which a director of the company, J P Barry is a director and shareholder.
Payments of £nil (2014: £10,000) in respect of secretarial and office costs were made to Pearl Capital Partners Limited, a company in which a director of the company, D B Pearl is a director and shareholder.
Related Shares:
Sovereign Mines of Africa