VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA -- (Marketwire) -- 08/20/08 -- Keegan Resources Inc. ("Keegan") (TSX VENTURE: KGN)(AMEX: KGN) is pleased to announce that it has contracted Graham Johnson to be its Health, Safety, Environment, and Community Manager. Mr. Johnson was formerly a Principal with Coffey Natural Systems in Perth, Australia where he led environmental and community baseline studies for various mining and exploration companies throughout Australia and Africa. Prior to that position, Mr. Johnson was Environmental Manager for the Sadiola Hill and Yatela Gold Mines for Anglogold Ashanti Ltd. in Mali.

Project updates

Essase:

Keegan has drilled 103,000 meters to date; 43,000 meters this year at its Esaase project, where Keegan is currently delineating and expanding a resource. Keegan will shortly add a second drill to complete infill drilling while the existing drill continues to complete stepouts and expand the deposit.

Several results are pending from aggressive stepout drilling to the north of the existing resource and will be released when available.

Keegan has contracted Lycopodium Engineering Pty. Ltd., a mining engineering firm based in Perth Australia, to coordinate scoping studies at the Esaase Project. The project personnel that Lycopodium has assigned to the project have extensive experience in Ghana, having worked in project study and design at the Akyem, Ahafo, and Tarkwa projects. Lycopodium and Keegan personnel are currently designing extensive metallurgical tests to investigate potential heap leach and CIL scenarios at Esaase.

Jeni Concession

Keegan has completed an initial soil sampling program with results to be released shortly.

Asumura

Keegan is continuously auger drilling mineralized structures previously identified and is planning a second drilling phase to be designed once all the initial data is processed.

Mt. Olives

Keegan is completing a geochemistry exploratory work program targeted to identify drill targets, which includes both stream sediment and soil samples and expects to release an update shortly.

Corporate update:

Keegan's plans for the coming year at Esaase are to release an updated resource estimate that includes both southern and northern extensions of the existing resource followed by a scoping study that will evaluate potential mining scenarios at Esaase. At the same time Keegan will design a drilling program on the Jeni Concession as well as complete new acquisitions.

At the Asumura Project, Keegan will continue its surface exploration (stream sediment and soil sampling) programs on the newly acquired Mt. Olives concession and its augur drilling program on select targets on the original Asumura concessions in preparation for additional drilling programs.

President and CEO Dan McCoy states: "Keegan is pleased to be advancing its projects at an aggressive pace and is fortunate to have a strong cash position which will carry the company into 2009 with no further financings required in 2008."

About Keegan Resources

Keegan is a junior gold company offering investors the opportunity to share ownership in the rapid exploration and development of high quality, pure gold assets. The Company is focused on its wholly owned flagship Esaase and Asumura gold projects located in Ghana, West Africa. Managed by highly skilled and successful technical and financial professionals, Keegan is well financed with no debt. Keegan is also strongly committed to the highest standards for environmental management, social responsibility, and health and safety for its employees and neighboring communities. Keegan trades on the TSX-VEN and on the AMEX under the symbol KGN.

On Behalf of the Board

Dan McCoy, Ph.D., President & CEO

This release includes certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. All statements in this release, other than statements of historical facts, that address future production, reserve potential, exploration drilling, exploitation activities and events or developments that the Company expects are forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes the expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements are based on reasonable assumptions, such statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements include market prices, exploitation and exploration successes, continued availability of capital and financing, and general economic, market or business conditions. Investors are cautioned that any such statements are not guarantees of future performance and those actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. For more information on the Company, Investors should review the Company's filings that are available at www.sedar.com.

The TSX Venture and AMEX Exchange have not reviewed and do not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release.