Geological Mapping Crucial to Promote Mining Investment in Ethiopia: AMGC Director-General
Proper geological mapping of Ethiopia would promote investment in the mining sector, African Minerals and Geosciences Center (AMGC) Director-General Ibrahim Shaddad said.
The director-general told ENA that the quarter million coverage of Ethiopia’s ground is endowed with mineral resources.
However, the rich mineral resource has not been transformed to mineral wealth, he added.
According to him, Ethiopia has to go on further step and carry out proper mapping, exploration, and prospection of the whole country.
“To the best of my knowledge … Ethiopia has the quarter million coverage of its ground. (But) they have to go further step to cover the whole country with 1000 scale map. I think Ethiopia has started that, but not yet finished mapping structurally lithological of the whole country. These are the base maps which attract investors.”
Investors do not want to spend money and time to do the grass root work, he noted, stressing that they need at least some level of information that encourages them.
Shaddad explained that investors will go into joint venture with the government if they get bankable feasibility study. This is the technical advice that Ethiopia needs to speed up.
The director-general underlined that finishing reliable scale map for the whole of Ethiopia with the entire basic data, including mineral spot map, structural spot map, and attractive mining code, would attract investors.
Value addition and going into third phase or decolor jewelry should also be started or implemented to promote and scale up the contribution of mining to GDP and to create more job opportunities in the country, he pointed out.
“For example, Ethiopia has one of the best opals in the world. I think it may compete with Australia opal in spite of some differences of genesis… It is world-class opal. I hope to see Ethiopia start or implement add value locally; at the same time, to go into the third phase or decolor jewelry design.”
Furthermore, Ethiopia has distinguished geoscientists living in the diaspora and can call them to prepare better road map to exploit the untapped potential of the sector.
The African Minerals and Geosciences Center is ready to support Ethiopia in the effort of transforming the sector, the director-general stated.
Besides, Shaddad said the center is ready to help with development partners for a better formulation and control of the small-scale mining in all kind of mineralization in Ethiopia.
Source: Ethiopia News Agency