2016 Minerals Yearbook

ETHIOPIA [ADVANCE RELEASE]

U.S. Department of the Interior January 2020

U.S. Geological Survey
 The Mineral Industry of Ethiopia
By Thomas R. Yager

In 2016, the production of mineral commodities—notably Proclamation No. 226/2000. Data on mineral production are
gold, gemstones, and tantalum—represented only a minor in table 1. Table 2 is a list of major mineral industry facilities.
part of the economy of Ethiopia (United Nations Economic More-extensive coverage of the mineral industry of Ethiopia
Commission for Africa, 2017). The legislative framework can be found in previous editions of the U.S. Geological Survey
for the mineral sector in Ethiopia is provided by Mining Minerals Yearbook, volume III, Area Reports—International—
Income Tax Proclamation No. 53/1993, Mining Income Africa, which are available at https://www.usgs.gov/centers/
Tax (Amendment) Proclamation No. 23/1996, Transaction nmic/africa-and-middle-east.
of Precious Minerals Proclamation No. 651/2009, Mining
Operations Proclamation No. 678/2010, and Mining Reference Cited
Operations (Amendment) Proclamation No. 816/2013. The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, 2017, Ethiopia, in African
legislative framework for the petroleum sector is provided statistical yearbook 2017: United Nations Economic Commission for Africa,
by Petroleum Operations Income Tax Proclamation No. p. 178–182. (Accessed November 7, 2018, at https://www.uneca.org/sites/
296/1986, Petroleum Operations Proclamation No. 295/1996, default/files/PublicationFiles/asyb-2017.pdf.)
and Petroleum Operations Income Tax (Amendment)

taBLE 1
ETHIOPIA: PRODUCTION OF MINERAL COMMODITIES1, 2

(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)

Commodity3 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

MEtaLS
r r, 4 4
Gold, mine, au content kilograms 12,311 12,581 11,970 9,040 8,577
e r r r r
iron and steel, steel, raw 79,000 120,000 280,000 430,000 690,000
Niobium and tantalum, mine,
columbite-tantalite concentrate:
e e e 4
Gross weight kilograms 380,000 50,000 141,000 180,000 191,000
e r r r r
Nb content do. 31,000 3,900 12,000 15,000 16,000
ta contente do. 100,000 r
11,000 r
46,000 r
59,000 r
63,000
e e
platinum-group metals, mine, platinum, pt content do. -- -- -- 5 5
e e r e
Silver, mine, ag content do. 800 900 1,020 1,000 1,000
iNDUStRiaL MiNERaLS
r, e e
Cement, hydraulic 3,547,880 4,493,245 5,423,745 7,500,000 8,300,000
Clay and shale:
e e
Brick clay Na Na 15,400 16,000 16,000
e e e e
Kaolin 4,200 4,400 4,530 4,600 4,600
e e e e
Shale 50,000 58,000 66,569 110,000 110,000
e e e e
other 210,000 520,000 883,464 990,000 1,100,000
e
Diatomite 4,500 4,800 5,000 5,000 5,000
e e e e
Feldspar, mine production 500 550 596 600 600
See footnotes at end of table.

Ethiopia—2016 [ADVANCE RELEASE] 15.1

 taBLE 1—Continued
ETHIOPIA: PRODUCTION OF MINERAL COMMODITIES1, 2

(Metric tons, gross weight, unless otherwise specified)

Commodity3 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

iNDUStRiaL MiNERaLS—Continued
Gemstones:
aquamarinee kilograms 700 1,100 1,600 3,200 420
Citrinee do. 3 5 8 16 2
Emeralde do. 15 23 35 70 9
Garnete do. 30 45 68 140 19
Morganitee do. 1 2 3 6 1
e e e e 4
opal do. 14,000 21,000 32,000 64,000 8,485
peridote do. 10 15 23 46 6
Quartze do. 1,500 2,300 3,400 6,800 900
Rubye do. 55 85 130 260 34
Sapphiree do. 45 70 110 220 29
tourmalinee do. 110 170 250 500 66
e e e e
Gypsum, including anhydrite, crude 74,000 150,000 243,678 290,000 320,000
e e e e
Lime 5,621 6,000 36,000 55,000 75,000
e e e e
pumice and pumicite 380,000 510,000 640,895 720,000 800,000
e e e e
Quartz, unspecified 1,300 2,300 3,358 3,400 3,400
e r r r r
Salt, rock 400,000 410,000 420,000 440,000 450,000
e e r e
Sand and gravel, industrial 11,000 9,800 16,290 10,443 10,000
e e r e
Soda ash, natural 5,000 5,000 3,896 6,878 8,000
Stone, sand, and gravel:
Stone, crushed:
e e r e
Basalt 41,000 130,000 182,863 148,078 150,000
e e e e
Limestone 2,400,000 3,000,000 3,640,000 4,800,000 4,800,000
e e e e
Rhyolite 10,000 10,000 92,604 160,000 160,000
e e e e
Sandstone 33,000 57,000 73,572 110,000 110,000
Stone, dimension:
Granitee 2,200 r 1,500 r 1,500 r 1,600 r 1,600
Marble:
Block Na 9,746 r 9,720 r 9,700 r, e 9,700 e
Slab and tiles 16,876 11,807 12,000 e 12,000 e 12,000 e
other Na Na 42,623 43,000 e 43,000 e
e e e
Stone, size and shape unspecified, dolomite 7,000 11,000 15,824 16,000 16,000 e
MINERAL FUELS AND RELATED MATERIALS
Coal, lignite 20,000 e 20,000 e 27,000 r, e 34,131 r 35,000 e
e
Estimated. rRevised. do. Ditto. Na Not available. -- Zero.
1
Table includes data available through February 22, 2018. All data are reported unless otherwise noted. Estimated data are rounded to no more than three
significant digits.
2
Data are for the Ethiopian fiscal year ending on July 7 of the year indicated.
3
in addition to the commodities listed, glass, sulfuric acid, and talc may have been produced in Ethiopia, but available information was inadequate to make
reliable estimates of output.
4
Reported exports.

15.2 [ADVANCE RELEASE] U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS YEARBOOK—2016

 taBLE 2
ETHIOPIA: STRUCTURE OF THE MINERAL INDUSTRY IN 2016

(Metric tons unless otherwise specified)

Major operating companies and annual

Commodity major equity owners Location of main facilities capacity
Caustic soda Caustic Soda Share Co. plant at Ziway 10,000.
Cement Derba Midroc Cement plc plant at Derba 2,500,000.
Do. do. do. 90,000.
Do. do. plant at Dejen 90,000.
Do. Dangote Cement plc plant at Mugher 2,500,000.
Do. Mugher Cement Enterprise (Government, 100%) do. 2,276,000.
Do. Messebo Cement Factory plc (Government, 100%) plant at Mekele 2,240,000.
Do. National Cement Share Co. plants at Dire Dawa 1,350,000.
Do. East Cement Share Co. plant at Dukem 750,000.
Do. Ture Dire Dawa Cement Factory Share Co. plant at Dire Dawa 500,000.
Do. Capital Clinker and packaging plc plant at addis ababa 450,000.
Do. pioneer Cement Manufacturing plc plant at Dire Dawa 450,000.
Do. huang Shan Cement plc plant near Modijo 435,000.
Do. Encheni Medrock Cement plc Na 300,000.
Do. Jiangsu Zhongshun import and Export trade plant at Dukem 250,000.
Company Ltd.
Do. hua Yu Cement Na 150,000.
Do. Red Fox International Investment plc plant at adama 100,000.
Do. abyssinia Cement plc plant at Chancho 90,000.
Do. Derbasina Business industries plc plant at holeta 90,000.
Do. Jema Cement plc plant in North Shoa zone 45,000
Clay and shale:
Kaolin Ethiopian Mineral Development Share Co. Mine at Bamba Wuha 7,500.
(Government, 100%)
other East Cement Share Co. Mine in oromia Regional State 1,800,000.e
Do. National Cement Share Co. Mine in amhara Regional State 280,000.e
Do. pioneer Cement Manufacturing plc Mine at Dire Dawa 120,000.e
Do. Mugher Cement Mine near Mugher 67,000.e
Shale Messebo Cement Factory plc Mine in tigray Regional State 170,000.e
Coal, lignite Delbi Coal Mining Share Co. Mine at Delbi 30,000.e
Feldspar Ethiopian Mineral Development Share Co. Kenticha Mine near Borena 600.e
Gemstones, opal artisanal miners Mine at Wegel tena Na.
Do. do. Mine near Gashena Na.
Glass Ethiopia hansom international Glass plc [CGC plant at addis ababa 42,000.
overseas Construction Ltd. (CGCoC) and
China-Africa Development Fund]
Do. addis ababa Bottle and Glass Share Co. do. 8,000.
Gold kilograms Midroc Gold Mine plc (Midroc Group) Lega Dembi and Sakaro Mines 3,600.e
Do. do. artisanal miners Mines in oromia Regional State 3,400.e
Do. do. do. Mines in tigray Regional State 2,200.e
Do. do. do. Mines in Gambella Regional 1,200.e
State
Do. do. do. Mines in Benishangul-Gumuz 1,100.e
Regional State
Do. do. do. Mines in Southern Nations 600.e
Nationalities, and peoples’
Regional State
Do. do. do. Mines in amhara Regional State1 300.e
Gypsum Derba Midroc Cement plc Mine in oromia Regional State 150,000.e
Do. East Cement Share Co. do. 140,000.e
Do. pioneer Cement plc Mine in Somali Regional State 85,000.e
Lime Derba Lime and Chemicals (DLC) (Midroc Group, plant near Derba 73,000.
100%)
Do. Senkele Lime Factory plant at ambo 6,000.e
Do. Caustic Soda Share Co. (Government, 100%) plant at Ziway Na.
Do. Wonji Shoa Sugar Factory plant near Wonji Na.
See footnotes at end of table.

Ethiopia—2016 [ADVANCE RELEASE] 15.3

 taBLE 2—Continued
ETHIOPIA: STRUCTURE OF THE MINERAL INDUSTRY IN 2016

(Metric tons unless otherwise specified)

annual
Commodity Major operating companies and major equity owners Location of main facilities capacity
Niobium (columbium) and tantalum, Ethiopian Mineral Development Share Co. Kenticha Mine near Borena 90 tantalum;
ore and concentrate 20 niobium.
Do. artisanal miners Mines in oromia Regional 25 tantalum;
State 14 niobium.
platinum do. Mine at Yubdo 10.e
pumice and pozzolanic materials East Cement Share Co. Mine in oromia Regional State 1,100,000.e
Do. Derba Midroc Cement plc do. 170,000.e
Do. Mugher Cement Enterrpise Mine near Mugher 120,000.e
Do. Messebo Cement Factory plc Mine in tigray Regional State 110,000.e
Quartz Ethiopian Mineral Development Share Co. Kenticha Mine near Borena 3,400.e
Salt artisanal miners Mines at afdera Lake 1,100,000.e
Silica sand Ethiopian hansom international Glass pLC Mine in oromia Regional State 35,000.e
Silver kilograms Midroc Gold Mine plc (Midroc Group) Mine at Lega Dembi 1,100.e
Soda ash abijata-Shalla Soda ash Share Co. [National Mining Mine at Lake abijata 20,000.
Corp. plc (NMiC), 62%, and Government, 38%]
Steel, crude abyssinia integrated Steel plc plant at Debre Zeit 150,000.e
Stone:
Crushed:
Basalt Derba Midroc Cement plc Mine in oromia Regional State 290,000.e
Do. target industries plc Mine near addis ababa 14,000.e
Limestone Derba Midroc Cement plc Mine in oromia Regional State 2,700,000.e
Do. National Cement Share Co. Mine near Dire Dawa 1,600,000.e
Do. Messebo Cement Factory plc Mine in tigray Regional State 1,500,000.e
Do. pioneer Cement Manufacturing plc Mine at Dire Dawa 1,100,000.e
Do. East Cement Share Co. Mine in oromia Regional State 770,000.e
Do. Mugher Cement Enterrpise Mine near Mugher 390,000.e
Rhyolite National Cement Share Co. Mine at Dire Dawa 240,000.e
Sandstone Derba Midroc Cement plc Mine in oromia Regional State 70,000.e
Do. Messebo Cement Factory plc Mine in tigray Regional State 80,000.e
Dimension, marble a Zeyneba Mining plc Mine in Benishangul-Gumuz 32,000.e
Regional State
Do. National Mining Corporation plc do. 10,000.e

Do. do. plant at awash 20,000.2

Do. Saba Dimension Stone Factory plc plant at adwa 14,000.2
Undefined, dolomite Ethiopian Mineral Development Share Co. Kenticha Mine near Borena 16,000.e
Sulfuric acid Melkasa aluminum Sulfate and Sulfuric acid plant at Melkasa 14,600.
Factory
e
Estimated. Do., do. Ditto. Na Not available.
1
Not operating at the end of 2016.
2
also includes granite and limestone.

15.4 [ADVANCE RELEASE] U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY MINERALS YEARBOOK—2016