Gold production of Ethiopia by artisan miners over the past three months starting July 7, 2020 has increased by close to 300 compared to the target set by the Ministry of Mines and Petroleum of Ethiopia (MMP).
The artisan miners in the country has produced 2241 kilograms of gold, which is almost 299% more than the target set by Ministry, according to the report presented to the press this morning by Minister of Mines and Petroleum Eng. Takele Uma. He indicated that the production of gold has tripled by the measures taken by the government to fight contraband trading of gold by making available gold collection centers near the artisan miners.
In his report Eng. Takele also stated that the country has exported 15 tons of tantalum and close to 767 kilograms of opal produced by artisan miners. Over the last three months Ethiopia has earned a total of $178 million from export of minerals mainly gold, opal and tantalum. Over the past few years Ethiopia’s earnings from gold export has been declining from over $600 million a few years ago to less than $100 million.
In a related development, Ethiopian Ministry of Revenue reported a few days ago that it has seized over 1.4 kilograms of gold at Bole International Airport from individual who was trying to smuggle out of Ethiopia. The contraband trader was captured trying to take out the gold as a diplomatic item from Cameroon Embassy in Addis Ababa.