Aim-listed Kefi Minerals has received approval from Ethiopian authorities to proceed with the resettlement of the Tulu Kapi community, surrounding the company’s Tulu Kapi mine.
Preparatory activities for the resettlement will now turn to an exhaustive community communication and consultation programme on the various aspects of the home and livelihood restoration plans, down to the individual household level.
The physical preparations will be launched as soon as the wet season ends shortly, says Kefi, which includes the resettlement work teams building roads into new host lands and the preparation of new host lands.
During this time, the community will harvest its crops in Tulu Kapi, while Tulu Kapi Gold Mines (TKGM), which is the operating subsidiary owned by Kefi and ANS Mining Share Company, will clear new farm lands to assist the community to re-establish livelihoods.
TKGM has completed wet season base line environmental surveys and community socioeconomic surveys to aid in this process.
Meanwhile, the Tulu Kapi gold project will employ and train more than 1 000 people by the end of 2019. It is also expected to generate export revenues of about $200-million a year.
Construction for the project will start in early 2019 and will be commissioned during the second half of 2020. Site surveys and geotechnical drilling of final foundation layouts for on site infrastructure will start next month.