{"id":3448,"date":"2026-06-26T10:49:25","date_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:49:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/?p=3448"},"modified":"2026-06-26T10:49:27","modified_gmt":"2026-06-26T10:49:27","slug":"ethiopia-delivers-ethiopia-unlocks-mining-potential-through-strategic-reforms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/ethiopia-delivers-ethiopia-unlocks-mining-potential-through-strategic-reforms\/","title":{"rendered":"Ethiopia Delivers: Ethiopia Unlocks Mining Potential Through Strategic Reforms"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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AMN PLUS \u2013 June 26, 2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For many years, Ethiopia\u2019s mining sector remained largely overlooked under previous economic policies, despite the country’s vast mineral potential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, however, the sector has emerged as one of the key pillars of Ethiopia\u2019s economic transformation, thanks to the implementation of the Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past five years, Ethiopia has maintained strong economic momentum. By the end of the 2018 Ethiopian fiscal year, the country is projected to achieve double-digit economic growth of 10.2 percent. A major contributor to this progress has been the government’s commitment to diversifying the economy and revitalizing strategic sectors such as mining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to the reforms, the mining industry faced significant challenges, including resource wastage, widespread illegal trade, and the absence of an effective policy framework.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Today, the sector is undergoing a remarkable transformation, driven by structural reforms that have brought mining activities into the formal economy and curbed contraband trade.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major turning point came in July 2024, when the government introduced a market-based foreign exchange system and the National Bank implemented measures to encourage gold suppliers to operate through formal channels. These reforms helped redirect gold that had previously been lost to smuggling and black-market transactions into the official banking system. As a result, Ethiopia’s gold export revenues have increased substantially.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a historic development, gold has overtaken coffee as the country’s leading source of foreign exchange earnings, marking a significant milestone in Ethiopia\u2019s economic history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Another important achievement has been the successful integration of industrial minerals into domestic production. For years, Ethiopia spent hundreds of millions of dollars importing limestone and other raw materials required by the cement, steel, ceramics, and textile industries. Through targeted investments and policy support, the country has significantly expanded local production and reduced import dependence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Consequently, the domestic market share of locally produced limestone has increased dramatically, from just 17 percent in 2018 to 75 percent today. The sector has also witnessed major investments in mineral processing and energy resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Arjo Coal Factory and the Iti Coal Factory in the Dawuro Zone have been inaugurated by Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed and are now fully operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Meanwhile, Ethiopia’s mining industry is steadily transitioning from traditional, small-scale activities to modern, large-scale industrial production. The Tulu Kapi Gold Project has entered the construction phase, while the Kurmuk Gold Project in the Benishangul-Gumuz Region is approaching completion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, Ethiopia has launched extensive exploration and development initiatives focused on strategic green minerals, including lithium, which are increasingly critical to the global clean-energy transition. Once these large-scale projects become fully operational, they are expected to generate substantial mining revenues and further strengthen the country’s economic growth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The sector has also made significant contributions to employment creation. More than one million Ethiopians have secured direct jobs through mining-related activities, while over four million citizens rely on the sector for their livelihoods. As a result, mining is playing an increasingly important role in reducing unemployment and improving living standards across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Overall, the structural reforms implemented in Ethiopia\u2019s mining sector over the past five years have delivered far-reaching economic benefits. Beyond generating wealth and foreign exchange earnings, these reforms have strengthened national sovereignty, enhanced economic resilience, and laid a strong foundation for sustainable development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The achievements recorded thus far demonstrate the historic significance of Ethiopia\u2019s mining transformation and its growing contribution to the nation\u2019s prosperity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Tegegn Befekadu<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

AMN PLUS \u2013 June 26, 2026 For many years, Ethiopia\u2019s mining sector remained largely overlooked under previous economic policies, despite the country’s vast mineral potential. Today, however, the sector has emerged as one of the key pillars of Ethiopia\u2019s economic transformation, thanks to the implementation of the Homegrown Economic Reform Agenda. Over the past five […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"cybocfi_hide_featured_image":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ethiopia","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3448"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3455,"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3448\/revisions\/3455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.amn.gov.et\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}