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By Jonathan Dyson, in Addis Ababa
Allana exploration team on the
Dallol potash property.
Allana Potash
Ethiopia's potential as a source of industrial minerals is beginning to be realised, with a growing number of exploration and mining projects underway amid rapidly increasing foreign investment.
The Ministry of Mines has granted 72 industrial minerals exploration licences, with 61 going to foreign companies, eight to Ethiopian/foreign joint ventures and three to local companies. Some 52 mining licences have also been approved, with 28 to foreign companies, 17 to Ethiopian/foreign joint ventures and seven to local companies.
The licences are for minerals including potash, limestone, marble, pumice, clay, gypsum, basalt, silica sand and gemstone, salt and soda ash. Other industrial minerals have also been identified.
Potash has become the focus of much of the attention in Ethiopia's industrial minerals sector, with 18 exploration projects currently underway. The most significant is at the Dallol potash site in the Danakil depression in the north of the country, which is being explored by Canadian potash specialist, Allana Potash.
The site has potash resources of approximately 1.3bn tonnes measured and indicated, at an average grade of 19% KCl (potassium chloride), with an inferred resource of 588m tonnes, also at 19% KCl, the company told IM.
The site includes sylvinite resources of 171m tonnes measured and indicated,...