ETNO Mining and the Ethiopian Government partner to modernize gold extraction in Akobo Woreda.

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (BG) – Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has welcomed a landmark investment by ETNO Mining, a subsidiary of Scandinavian-based Akobo Minerals, to modernize gold mining operations in Akobo Woreda, Gambela Region in the western part of the Horn of Africa country.

The company is partnering with the Ethiopian Government through Ethiopian Investment Holdings to bring efficiency and sustainability to the region’s gold mining sector.

For the past 30 years, the town of Dima in Akobo Woreda has relied on small-scale, traditional gold mining methods, often leading to significant resource wastage. The Prime Minister hailed the new venture as a transformative step, ensuring high-quality gold extraction in a shorter timeframe while combating illegal mining activities that have long plagued the region.

“This new investment marks a transformative step towards ensuring efficient and high-quality gold extraction in a shorter timeframe while addressing the challenges posed by illegal mining,” PM Abiy tweeted on Wednesday.

“It also signifies a commitment to the sustainable development of Gambela’s abundant resources for the benefit of the region and its people,” he added.

ETNO Mining’s operation is set to modernize the sector, creating jobs, improving livelihoods, and contributing to Ethiopia’s broader economic goals. The project underscores the government’s focus on fostering partnerships with international investors to develop the country’s natural resources responsibly.

As the initiative takes shape, it promises to transform Akobo Woreda into a hub of modern gold mining, reducing wastage and ensuring that the region’s wealth benefits its people.

Gambela is located in southwestern Ethiopia, bordered by South Sudan in the west, Oromia Region in the northeast, and South West Ethiopia Peoples region in the southeast. The region’s capital city is Gambela and is divided into four administrative zones: Agnewak-zone, Nuwer-zone, Mezhenger-zone, and Etang Special zone.

Within these four zones, there are 13 woredas. Based on the last census conducted in 2007, Gambela region’s population was over 300,000, with five ethnic groups that are considered indigenous. These are the Anywaa (or Anyuak), Komo, Majanger, Nuer, and Opo people.

There are also people from other ethnic groups of the country living in the region, often called ‘highlanders’ (or Degenga). Among these inhabitants of the region, the Nuer and the Anywaa are the two largest groups, followed by the highlanders. The Nuer ethnic group is primarily agro-pastoralist, while the Anywaa ethnic group engages in cultivation.

As of February 2024, the region hosts 386,063 refugees from South Sudan. The working language is Amharic, but Nuer, Anywaa, and Afaan Oromo languages are also spoken in the region, according to Ethiopia Peace Observatory.