Xtra-Gold Intercepts 12 Metres of 10.32 g/t Gold and 26 Metres of 3.06 g/t Gold on Zone 3 at Its Kibi Gold Project in Ghana, West Africa

TORONTO, April 24, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Xtra-Gold Resources Corp. ("Xtra-Gold" or the "Company") (TSX:XTG) (OTCBB:XTGR), is very pleased to announce results from 10 additional diamond core holes totaling 2,293 metres ("m") from the Double 19 Zone on Zone 3 of the Company's wholly-owned Kibi Gold Project, located in the Kibi – Winneba greenstone belt ("Kibi Gold Belt"), in Ghana, West Africa. Highlights of the drill results and ongoing exploration activities reported today include:

• 12 m grading 10.32 grams per tonne ("g/t") gold in #KBDD12198 from 18 m down-hole on newly defined Double 19 Zone (Zone 3 – East);
   
• 26 m grading 3.06 g/t gold, including 5.67 g/t gold over 10 m, in #KBDD12205 from 33 m down-hole (Double 19 Zone);
   
• Drilling / trenching to date appears to indicate that the Double 19 Zone consists of a ENE-plunging, en-echelon, mineralized vein system traced to date over an approximately 165 m strike length and approximately 150 m down plunge distance from surface;
   
• Scout drilling on Zone 4 identifies prominent, pyritic/graphitic shear zone centred on quartz feldspar porphyry ("QFP") sill; mineralized shear traced over an approximately 300 m strike length and 160 m down-dip extension to date by 5 boreholes (Orange No. 5 Zone);
   
• Scout trenching and deep hand auger sampling scheduled to begin this week on newly defined 1,200 m long by 150 m to 250 m wide Akwadum South and Akim Apapam gold-in-soil anomalies identified by the ongoing Phase II Soil Program.

A map depicting the location of the Double 19 Zone in connection with the mineralization zones can be viewed on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

President and CEO Paul Zyla commented, "The Double 19 Zone step-out drilling located approximately 600 m to the southwest of the South Ridge Zone on the Zone 2 gold-in-soil anomaly continues to yield very encouraging results and to demonstrate the widespread nature of the classical granitoid – hosted gold mineralization developed along the over 5.5 km long Kibi Gold Trend within the northwestern portion of the Apapam Mining Lease. With  the Double 19 Zone a total of 4 prominent, granitoid-hosted, gold systems have now been identified over an approximately 1,500 m segment of the Kibi Gold Trend, including the East Dyke, Big Bend, and South Ridge zones. This newly defined zone continues to demonstrate the multiple gold shoot potential of the extensive Kibi Gold Trend mineralized system; with the near term potential to add to the currently commissioned initial NI 43-101 mineral resource estimate on the Big Bend and East Dyke Zones on Zone 2 looking very promising."

Double 19 Zone (Zone 3 – East Gold-In-Soil Anomaly)

Today's drill results on the Double 19 Zone correspond to a February 2012, 10 hole (2,293 m) drill campaign designed to follow-up on very encouraging trenching and 2009 scout reverse circulation (RC) drilling result (see March 16, 2012 news release). The Double 19 Zone lies at the south-eastern extremity of the approximately 1,250 m long Zone 3 gold-in-soil trend, approximately 600 m southwest of the South Ridge Zone on the Zone 2 gold-in-soil anomaly. See the map depicting the location of the Double 19 Zone in connection with the mineralization zones which is available for viewing on the Company's website. The drilling was designed to further define the mineralization along strike and at depth, gain additional insight on the mineralization's structural setting, and further delineate the geometry of the host diorite body.

The drilling announced today tested the mineralized veining system over an approximately 100 m strike distance and approximately 80 m down plunge extension from surface. Drilling highlights include: a near surface, saprolite (oxide) intercept of 16.5 m grading 4.35 g/t gold from a down-hole depth of 4.5 m in hole #KBDD12208 designed to undercut the trench #TKB022-ADRS003 mineralized intercept at the WNW extremity of the zone; a saprolite (oxide) intercept of 12 m grading 10.32 g/t gold from a down-hole depth of 18 m in #KBDD12198 within the central portion of the zone; and intercepts of 19 m grading 3.26 g/t gold and 26 m grading 3.06 g/t gold from down-hole depths of 36 m and 33 m in holes #KBDD12203 and #KBDD12205, respectively at the ENE extremity of the zone (drill fence with 30 m collar separation). All holes, with the exception of #KBDD12204 (NW-trending), consist of SE-trending boreholes with -50^o to -70^o inclinations. Gold mineralization is associated with quartz-albite-carbonate-sulphide veining developed within a rock body of quartz diorite composition.

Current on-going drilling has traced the mineralization an additional 50 m to the ENE of the #KBDD12201-KBDD12203-KBDD12205 section in holes #KBDD12231, #KBDD12233, and #KBDD12234; with these holes still in the process of being logged and sampled. Drilling / trenching to date appears to indicate that the Double 19 Zone consists of a ENE-plunging, en-echelon, mineralized vein system traced to date over an approximately 165 m strike length and approximately 150 m down plunge distance from surface.

Orange No. 5 Shear Zone (Zone 4 Gold-In-Soil Anomaly)

Recent scout drilling efforts to test high priority geophysical, soil geochemical, and geological targets along the 3.5 km long Zone 4 gold trend located within the south-western portion of the Apapam Mining Lease identified a prominent sulphide-bearing shear zone centred on a strongly iron-carbonate altered quartz feldspar porphyry sill ("QFP") emplaced along and/or proximate to the contact between intercalated greywacke/siltstone and graphitic phyllite rock sequences.

The NE-trending, pyritic/graphitic, Orange No. 5 shear zone has thus far been traced over an approximately 300 m strike length and approximately 160 m down-dip extension from surface (approx. 125 m vertical) by 5 boreholes. The mineralized structure exhibits a high chargeability / high conductivity induced polarization ("IP") signature and is spatially associated with a prominent Versatile Time Domain Electromagnetic (VTEM) resistivity/conductivity break. The spatial relationship of the Orange No. 5 shear zone with a QFP body constitutes a classical orogenic lode gold setting and demonstrates the multi-style mineralization potential of the Kibi Gold project. Assay results for the 5 holes are pending from the laboratory.

Akwadum South / Akim Apapam Gold-In-Soil Anomaly Proofing

The ongoing 2011 – 2012 Phase II Apapam soil sampling program (see March 16, 2012 news release) has produced 2 prominent, tight/linear, gold-in-soil anomalies persistently traceable over lengths of 1,200 m and extending over widths of 150 m to 250 m, including: the Akwadum South anomaly located at the southeast extremity of the Apapam Mining Lease; and the Akim Apapam anomaly located within the central portion of the namesake reconnaissance license.

These gold-in-soil anomalies exhibit spatial relationships with areas of structural complexity identified by an aeromagnetic (+/- VTEM, Radiometric) - based regional structure study conducted by SRK Consulting (Canada) Inc. in 2011 on behalf of Xtra-Gold; particularly with intersections between major D₂-D₅ fault corridors and major, late, E-W trending D₆ faults. A scout trenching and deep hand auger (5 m) sampling program designed to test the subsurface geochemical signature and geological setting of the Akwadum South and Akim Apapam gold-in-soil anomalies is scheduled for initiation on or around April 27, 2012.

A mineralization map is available on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

Yves P. Clement, P. Geo, Vice President, Exploration for Xtra-Gold is acting as the Qualified Person in compliance with National Instrument 43-101 ("NI 43-101") with respect to this announcement. He has prepared and or supervised the preparation of the scientific or technical information in this announcement and confirms compliance with NI 43-101. The NI 43-101 Technical Report entitled "Kibi Project, Eastern Region, Ghana", prepared by Simon Meadows Smith and Joe Amanor of SEMS and dated July 12, 2010 is filed under the Company's profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. Xtra-Gold has implemented a rigorous quality assurance / quality control (QA/QC) program to ensure best practices in sampling and analysis of drill core, reverse circulation ("RC") samples, and trench channel samples, the details of which can be viewed on the Company's website at www.xtragold.com.

About Xtra-Gold Resources Corp.

Xtra-Gold is a gold exploration company with a substantial land position in the Kibi greenstone belt ("Kibi Gold Belt") located in Ghana, West Africa. The Kibi Gold Belt, which exhibits many similar geological features to Ghana's main gold belt, the Ashanti Belt has been the subject of very limited modern exploration activity targeting lode gold deposits as virtually all past gold mining activity and exploration efforts focused on the extensive alluvial gold occurrences in many river valleys throughout the Kibi area.

Xtra-Gold holds five (5) Mining Leases totaling approximately 226 sq km (22,600 ha) at the northern extremity of the Kibi Gold Belt. The Company's exploration efforts to date have focused on the Kibi Project located on the Apapam Concession (33.65 sq. km), along the eastern flank of the Kibi Gold Belt. Xtra-Gold's Kibi Project consists of an over 5.5 km long mineralized trend delineated from gold-in-soil anomalies, geophysical interpretations, trenching and drilling along the northwest margin of the Apapam Concession.

Forward-Looking Statements

The TSX does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. This News Release includes certain "forward-looking statements". These statements are based on information currently available to the Company and the Company provides no assurance that actual results will meet management's expectations. Forward-looking statements include estimates and statements that describe the Company's future plans, objectives or goals, including words to the effect that the Company or management expects a stated condition or result to occur. Forward-looking statements may be identified by such terms as "believes", "anticipates", "expects", "estimates", "may", "could", "would", "will", or "plan". Since forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve inherent risks and uncertainties. Actual results relating to, among other things, results of exploration, project development, reclamation and capital costs of the Company's mineral properties, and the Company's financial condition and prospects, could differ materially from those currently anticipated in such statements for many reasons such as: changes in general economic conditions and conditions in the financial markets; changes in demand and prices for minerals; litigation, legislative, environmental and other judicial, regulatory, political and competitive developments; technological and operational difficulties encountered in connection with the activities of the Company; and other matters discussed in this news release. This list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of the Company's forward-looking statements. These and other factors should be considered carefully and readers should not place undue reliance on the Company's forward-looking statements. The Company does not undertake to update any forward-looking statement that may be made from time to time by the Company or on its behalf, except in accordance with applicable securities laws.