Tantalum in Ethiopia

MINERAL RESOURCES OF
The Ethiopian Mineral Development Share
Company now seeks partners to develop a
plant to produce value added commodities
(K Ta F ,K NbF ,Ta 0 ,Nb 0 ,etc.).
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Potential for further tantalum
deposits
The Kenticha mine is situated in the southern
part of the Adola belt. Surrounding the mine
are numerous showings of coltan many of
which are exploited by small-scale miners.
Pegmatites with columbo tantalite showings
have been traced along the regional shearzone
system for more than 100 km towards
north indicating where more economic tantalite
deposits may be found.
Reports of coltan minerals in placer deposits
farther north towards the border to Somali -
land, and the presence of several coltan mine -
ralisations across the border near Hergeisa,
sub stantiate the assumption that there is a
vast potential for finding further commercial
tantalum deposits in Ethiopia. The small-scale
miners around the Kenticha mine do not sell
their columbite concentrate to the local
EMDSC mine, but it is not known who buys the
ore from those miners. It would clearly be an
advantage for the small-scale miners and for
Kenticha mine if the miners sold their concentrate
to the mine.
Shaking tables producing tantalite concentrate.
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Up-scaling the Kenticha plant has advantages
and it is likely to take place when the lack
of tantalum ore starts to show after the closure
of the Australian mines. The present production
can, without major difficulties, be
increased and the large tailings dam hosting
the remaining 30 percent of the columbite
from the ore is a major asset.
Seeking partners for local
processing and trade
Today the Ethiopian Mineral Development
Share Company (EMDSC) produces tantalite
concentrate and sells the product on the international
market. The rather high uranium contents
of some of the Kenticha ore pose a problem
since not all countries allow import of ore
with so much uranium. This is of course not a
favourable situation for neither the company
nor Ethiopia.
The Ethiopian Mineral Development Share
Company thus urgently seeks partners in metallurgy
and mineral processing in order to
upgrade their final product. The first step is to
produce a uranium-free product which can be
sold to the European and North American markets.
The next step is to produce tantalum and
niobium compounds such as K TaF and
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K NbF , and the final step will be to produce
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Ta O and Nb O powder. This will significantly
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increase the earnings.
Ministry of Mines of Ethiopia
Dear Investors,
We take this opportunity to welcome you
to Ethiopia.
We promise to make every possible effort
to provide you with all required information
on the mineral sector in Ethiopia.
If you require information on the mining
law, licensing conditions and the investment
climate in Ethiopia, please contact
the Mineral Licensing and Administration
Department:
Ministry of Mines
Mineral Licensing and Administration
Department
P.O. Box 486
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel. +251 11 6461214
Fax +251 11 6463454
Email: information@mome.gov.et
www.mome.gov.et
If you require information on the geology
and mineral opportunities in Ethiopia,
please contact the Geological Survey of
Ethiopia (GSE):
Geological Survey of Ethiopia
P.O. Box 2303
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Tel. +251 6 463325
Fax +251 6 463326
Email: Survey@ethionet.et
www.geology.gov.et
We are looking forward to your mining
investment in Ethiopia.
Prepared with assistance from GEUS.
December 2010