Desert Gold Ventures Inc. announced the completion of a 74-hole drill program over the company's SMSZ Project in Western Mali, near the border with Senegal. The ~400 km2 SMSZ Project is both named after, and, overlies a 38 km section of the Senegal Mali Shear Zone, which is related to 5 large mines located both to the north and south, along strike, including B2 Gold's Fekola Mine, Barrick's Gounkoto and Loulo Mines and AngloGold Ashanti/Iamgold's Sadiola and Yatela Mines. To the company's knowledge, the SMSZ Project is the largest, contiguous, non-producer land package over this very prospective structural feature. The drill hole program was completed in early January with 74 holes totaling 3,507 metres drilled. All holes targeted previously untested gold-in-auger anomalies, artisanal open pits, soil anomalies and IP geophysical anomalies. Two of the 74 holes, totaling 200 metres, were RC (reverse circulation) holes with the remainder being air core (AC) holes. AC drilling is a cost-effective way to test targets in deeply weathered terrains. All samples have been in the laboratory for a couple of weeks with assay results starting to trickle in. On-going exploration and data review, has resulted in an increase in the number of target areas from 47 to 59 and in the adjustment to some of the planned target and work areas. This program tested targets over target areas 16, 41, 45 and 56. All of the holes represent first pass testing of new targets. Follow-up drilling, at known previously drilled gold zones, material new discoveries and new targets, is expected to commence in first quarter, 2020. A summary of the recently tested target areas follows: Target area 16 ­1,200 by 500 metre, laterite covered, gold-in auger targets in an area where three gold zones are interpreted to intersect. Target area 41 ­ previously untested 2,000 metre by 500 metre area of artisanal open pits to 150 metres long, numerous mine shafts and shallow workings that returned grab samples to 10.5 g/t gold. Target area 45 ­ new, 400 metre by 150 metre artisanal shaft mining area that may represent a bulk mining-type exploration target. Target area 56 ­ new, 3,200 metre long IP chargeability anomaly with both coincident and flanking resistivity highs. Surface mapping noted abundant quartz veining and hematite-altered rocks.