Risk3 Sep 2025 08:38
The risks attached to having no war etc, are massive. The history and tensions are deeper and of longer history than in parts of the middle-east. Particularly the Oromia region.
To go slightly off topic, I am staggered anyone is considering big financing in the area today. Amazed the bank underwriters are accepting of such risk, and it would be the coup of the century to get it done.
The underwriters are essentially betting on Ethiopia maintaining sufficient stability in a very volatile region for the entire mine lifecycle. Given the country's complex ethnic federalism, ongoing conflicts, and history of resource-related disputes, it's a remarkably optimistic assessment of risk.
For a $240 million project, they could easily be looking at $10-20 million annually in insurance premiums alone - potentially 15-25% of expected annual cash flows going straight to risk mitigation.