The community based mining scheme at Kenticha in Seba Boru, of the Kenticha Mines, is gearing to develop lithium production, an expansion from its production and export of the tantalum ore.
Kenticha Mining plc which was formed by Oromia Mining Group, an enterprise formed by the Oromia Administration, private investors, and the African Mining and Energy (AME) based in Australia, disclosed that the value added operation will have mutual benefit for stakeholders including the public in the area and the government at large.
The mining scheme which was designed to advance the mining business with the modern thinking of a community based mining scheme has already leveled up its plans to engage on social development including development of infrastructure and other social facilities.
“We want to change the image of the mining development with our community intervention including knowledge transfer to empower the local community,” Sammy Million, representative of AME explained.
The company claimed that its approach has to be a structural chain geared towards a ‘win-win’ that makes the community have direct revenue share subject similar to that of the business modality.
The area has been developed under the government control, despite it being closed for about seven years for alleged environmental issues.
In the past few years, the company, which proposed to come up with the value additional production in partnership with the regional government, has followed up with the same by undertaking a detailed study to uplift the development with value addition production.
“Currently, we are on the final stage of coming up with the commissioning,” Sammy said, adding, “The lithium processing plant that is manufactured in South Africa is expected to reach Djibouti in the coming few days.”
According to Sammy, the commissioning work for lithium concentrate is expected to begin in three months time.
Additional, two processing plants are also said to be coming in few weeks time.
If the production line becomes effective, it would generate huge amount of foreign currency for the country since the product is on high demand at the global market.
More than 12 countries have shown signs for off take agreement, “This will be a game changer for us,” Sammy stated.
The mines present a globally important tantalite source in the Neoproterozoic Adola Belt, Qenticha locality in Seba Boru wereda, Guji zone, Oromia region, 600km of Addis Ababa at southern Ethiopia.
For close to three decades, the country has exported the tantalum ore of the mineral, which faced criticism from experts who claimed that it did not fully benefit the country.
AME claimed that it has substantial records alongside major project developments in Africa and has been responsible for originating sponsored projects with more than a billion dollar investment throughout the continent.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Korea, Park Jin, who was in Addis Ababa for a three-day official visit, echoed the fact that Ethiopia is a gateway to Africa.
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister, Demeke Mekonnen, has discussed with FM Park Jin on ways of further strengthening cooperation between the countries in bilateral and multilateral venues.
The Foreign Minister also discussed bilateral relations with Prime Minister Abiy.
Ethiopia and the Republic of South Korea celebrate the 60th anniversary of the establishment of their diplomatic relations.

Medicins Sans frontiers /Doctor without borders called for more resources and efforts to increase the availability of safe water and improve overall sanitation and hygiene conditions in parts of Tigray recovery continues.
“When the fighting got really bad here and people fled into the forest for a week,” explains Weldekiros Assefa, an engineer and water and sanitation expert for Doctors Without Borders (MSF) in Ethiopia “When they returned, the electricity had been cut off and the water hand pumps that many rely on for water had been dismantled and filled with stones.”
MSF’s medical humanitarian response in northwestern and central Tigray since November 2022 has rehabilitated health facilities’ water systems and re-established functioning waste management systems, allowing for the resumption of health services in 14 districts in the region and repairing 600 hand pumps in the region restore access to clean water in a place where – not long ago – water was scarce to non-existent during two years of civil war.
The war caused significant damage to infrastructure, whether due to lack of maintenance, intentional destruction, or the fighting. Health facilities were hardly functioning. Many became ill with diarrhoea. Whatever water people had was mainly used for cooking and drinking, but not for washing – increasing the risk of skin diseases and other illnesses that spread rapidly without access to hygiene.
Among MSF’s first priorities was rehabilitating health facilities’ water systems and re-establishing a functioning waste management system. In Shire’s Suhul hospital, for instance, the team managed to get safe water flowing again and built latrines, showers, and areas for washing. They also installed incinerators to ensure safe disposal of sharp, soft, and organic medical waste such as needles, syringes, soiled dressings and body parts. Most crucially, the team cleared a mountain of rubbish containing hazardous medical waste close to the facility.
Another critical goal was to bring safe water into people’s homes as a bulwark against the spread of waterborne diseases, including acute watery diarrhoea, skin and eye diseases, and those caused by parasites. The biggest fear was that the lack of access to clean water might trigger a cholera outbreak.
Between December 2022 and March 2023, several assessments were done in northwest and central Tigray and showed that only 34 percent of water hand pumps were still functioning among the 2000 surveyed across 14 districts. It was critical to repair the unusable pumps ahead of the rainy season, when water sources can become contaminated from open air defecation, increasing the risk of cholera outbreaks.
When water hand pumps aren’t functioning, people will use water from lakes and rivers, which is often unsafe. “At one stage, towards the end of March, almost one in four ambulatory patients we were seeing in Tigray were suffering from preventable waterborne diseases,” says Samreen Hussain, MSF medical coordinator in Ethiopia.
At the end of April, several cases of acute watery diarrhoea were recorded in Derso, a small village south of Sheraro, after a ten-year-old boy died on his way to a rural health facility. “The conditions in the village were very poor,” says Daniel Shmondi, an MSF water and sanitation supervisor who was among the team assessing the situation in the area. “There were no wells and people were using water from the river for all purposes. Open air defecation was common practice near homes.”
In response, the team distributed water purification tablets to 120 households and checked whether other people in the village had become sick. They found that two siblings of the boy who died had severe diarrhoea, and they were then admitted to an isolation centre that MSF helped set up in Sheraro to prepare for a possible cholera outbreak. This also triggered a response at Suhul Hospital, the referral facility for the region, which is two-hour drive away. The hospital rehabilitated its cholera treatment centre and trained staff to strengthen their ability to respond during outbreaks.
Early in the morning, Adisalem loads his camel with the spare parts he will need to repair a hand pump in Ademeyti, a village at the border with Eritrea. “In this area most people have not returned yet,” he says. “Many are still living in camps or with hosts in the community.”
Persisting insecurity has also slowed down recovery from the war. Water infrastructure in Tigray underwent costly repairs several times, only to be looted or intentionally destroyed again.
Aid organisations have been hesitant to carry out new big interventions. Pumps for the water treatment plant that provides safe water to the city of Sheraro took six months to be replaced. During that time, the city survived thanks to deliveries made by truck or donkeys. In addition, MSF provided up to 1.4 million litres of safe water for six displacement camps each day.
Where water utility technicians are not available, MSF technicians carry out the rehabilitation directly, while training new staff hired by the water administration. The objective is to act as a catalyst in the re-activation of the pre-existing public hand pump repair system.

Initiative Africa (IA), in collaboration with Ethiopia Chamber of Commerce and Sectoral Association (ECCSA) and Ethiopia’s National Rehabilitation Commission (NRC), organized a consultative workshop on the role of the private sector in Ethiopia’s National Rehabilitation Program.
The event was officially opened by an opening remark from Ambassador Teshome Toga, Ethiopia’s National Rehabilitation Commission Commissioner, and a keynote speech was delivered by Åsa Andersson, Head of Bilateral Development Cooperation Embassy of Sweden, Addis Ababa. The workshop focused on how the private sector can play a significant role in supporting the mission of the Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) in Ethiopia. Among the audience, Private sector representatives from MOENCO, MOHA GBT Engineering, Jupiter International Hotel, Z.T. General, Wanaza Furnishing, WT&T Construction, Hilltech Engineering were actively present on this event.
Initiative Africa, as a leading non-profit organization dedicated to promoting peace, good governance and private sector development believes that the private sector can play a significant role in supporting the mission of the Commission for Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) in Ethiopia. While the overall DDR program aims to facilitate peacebuilding and post-conflict recovery, Initiative Africa’s involvement will be limited to the reintegration phase, which focuses on helping former combatants reintegrate into society.
It is realized that there are registered damages and loses in different sectors therefore recognizing the unique capabilities and resources of the private sector, Initiative Africa (IA) explores how their involvement can enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of the reintegration process. By leveraging their expertise, resources, and networks, the private sector can significantly enhance the prospects for sustainable peace and socio-economic development in post-conflict communities.
Some of the areas of engagement IA believes the private sector can play a pivotal role in are Job Creation and Skills Development, Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) Support, Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives and Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) as well as Advocacy and Awareness.
By actively involving the private sector in the reintegration phase of Ethiopia’s DDR program, the Commission can tap into their unique capabilities, resources, and networks. This engagement will not only accelerate the process of reintegrating ex-combatants but also contribute to sustainable peace and socio-economic development.
The workshop was a valuable opportunity for the private sector, government officials, and civil society organizations to come together and discuss how they can work together to make a difference in the lives of former combatants and their families. Initiative Africa is committed to supporting the private sector in its efforts to play a key role in Ethiopia’s National Rehabilitation Program.