LONDON (Alliance News) - Gold and copper miner KEFI Minerals PLC on Tuesday confirmed that the local, zonal and regional authorities intend to resettle the community of Tulu Kapi in Ethiopia starting in January.
As soon as the wet season ends, a community communication and consultation program on various aspects of home and livelihood restoration will be undertaken, with host lands and roads to be built.
As part of this plan, KEFI's Tulu Kapi Gold Mines Ltd has completed the project's wet season base line environmental surveys and community socio-economic surveys.
If all goes to plan, 1,000 people will be directly employed by the end of 2019, with construction starting in early 2019 and production commissioned in the second half of 2020.
Project activities in the month will consist of site surveys and geotechnical drilling of final foundation layouts.
"In many ways this is the most welcome recent development, because it takes years to establish the sort of trust required for a smooth project launch when a country and region is going through such rapid change. KEFI and its partners in Tulu Kapi gold mines deeply appreciate the support of the community and of the authorities and are committed to maximising the local benefits of the project," said Managing Director Harry Anagnostaras-Adams.
Shares in KEFI Minerals were down 2.3% at 2.04 pence on Monday.
Kefi Gold & Copper (KEFI)