The demand around the world on industrialization and technology has been growing steadfastly as the lives of most people are relied on the products from the above mentioned streams. The world has been on a fast track to build a more digitalized and more industrious society in the past few decades. These days, most daily chores and other activities are being assisted with highly equipped technologies.
In the present climate, people could not think of their lives without technology and the fine products from huge and modern factories. Even one of the world’s oldest professions, farming, is also abetted with up-to-date technology outcomes that have tremendous advantage in lifting up production and productivity. To this point, developed countries have grown their economies and scaled up productivity to another level. On the other hand, developing and other poor countries are also sharing the experience from those nations to meet their demands. This implies that industrialization and technology are playing a vital role in supporting the lives of many in every segment of the world.
In order to realize both industrialization and technology equipped community, the role of natural resources is very high. It is the fact that the African continent is blessed with all the necessary natural resources that would be able to make the whole continent rich and developed in terms of economic power and societal wellbeing. However, this reality is like a fantasy as colonialism has disturbed the whole passion of changing Africa like its sister continents.
Fortunately, Africa is still supplying the whole world with its natural blessings. Most African countries are the major natural resource and raw material suppliers to the whole world. Natural gas, precious metals like gold and diamond, multiple raw materials for gigantic industries, and many other resources are shipped from Africa to the world. Accordingly, these nations are becoming advantageous as their export products are prominent in the world’s markets.
Nowadays, it is true that the world is very much dependent on the technologically advanced products. Apparently, these technology apparatuses are also working by lithium batteries. Plus, there are countries that export the material for mega technology companies. The mineral Lithium has the ability to bring so many advantages to the technology-dependent society.
Documents show that lithium is widely known as Energy Metal in the 21st Century. The material can be used for the vast range of applications. Lithium (Li) is a soft, silver–white alkali metal. It is the lightest of all metals. It has the lowest density and electrochemical features that make lithium an exceptional material for batteries, as it offers high voltage, high energy density, and high heat capacity in comparison to any other metal.
Thus, Li known as an energy critical element and is being widely utilized in large-capacity rechargeable batteries, particularly
Li-ion batteries. Lithium is one of the major components of electric vehicles, mobile phones, and laptops, and other technology products. In addition, the material is used to fabricate of glass, ceramics, and pharmaceuticals.
In fact, the world is encountering with the challenges of climate changes as the world is striving for reducing its carbon emission. Achieving the objective, the world, including the superpower nations, is working on replacing products such as fuel cars with electric ones. Such kind of decisions direct the world to produce more electric vehicles and technology products that can substitute the fossil-fuel energy- based products. To this regard, the world needs more lithium supply to generate energy from batteries.
A research points that, “The current supply derived from brines and hard rock ores is not enough to meet the global demand unless alternate resources and efficient techniques to recover this valuable metal are implemented.” Similarly, the world is trying to get the material from secondary resources such as wastewater.
Coming to the Ethiopian context, the nation owns a number of natural resources that can be extracted, used, and exported to the world market. It is mentioned that the world’s demand for lithium is already there. And Ethiopia is blessed with the mineral. There is a high tendency for the nation to be a beneficiary from the natural resources it has. The demand of lithium in the market brings additional use to the country because the resource is already there.
Recently, like other companies that are working on extracting Ethiopia’s natural resources, a private-owned Kenticha Mining Company (KMPLC) is planning to be the first lithium mine producer from East Africa. The company also plans to bring in 1.2 billion USD from export annually.
KMPLC Board Member, Ali Hussein told media that the company is working to commence the production of lithium and tantalum in the coming three months. Some 80 billion Birr is required to complete the mining project and upon operational, it will employ 1,000 citizens.
Identifying the mineral and sending samples abroad for confirmation has been completed. In the next three months, the company will begin production and this will make it the first lithium mine producer from East Africa. Agreements are being made to supply lithium products to companies in different countries.
Ali, who is also the Africa Mining and Energy Director, further noted that a machine called Processing Plan, which is used to produce the ore, will enter the country next September. “The machine will produce 270 tons of lithium per hour and make our country competitive with developed countries that supply the product to the foreign market.”
“Some 80 billion Birr will be needed to produce lithium and thallium minerals at full capacity after the completion of the Kenticha mining project. “Encouraging results have been obtained from mining exploration so far.”
According to him, the project’s materialization is instrumental in creating jobs for citizens and would contribute share to address forex shortage and open the way for local companies to invest in the mining sector.
“Our company signed an agreement with a Saudi Arabian firm and many countries have also shown interest to import the processed product, and this would help curb forex crunch. In the long run, we have the plan to bring the technology and to launch the processing plant, which will help enhance Ethiopia’s mining sector’s competitiveness in the global market.”
Having obtained the license in January 2023, the firm has carried out numerous exploration activities in the lithium and tantalum potential areas. Two process plants, using Dense Media Separation (DMS) processes engineering that have been constructed in Johannesburg, South Africa, are currently being shipped from the port of Durban to Djibouti.
In line with discharging corporate social responsibility, KMPLC is engaged in a number of community-based projects such as providing potable water to Kenticha and surrounding villages, repairing local roads, well digging and the supply of medical equipment among others, Ali remarked.
BY DANIEL ALEMAYEHU
The Ethiopian Herald August 20/2023
