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Akobo Minerals, a Scandinavian gold exploration and mining company with a growing presence in Ethiopia, has announced a significant milestone – the successful production of its first gold bar from the Segele Mine. This achievement marks the beginning of commercial gold production for the company, solidifying their position as a key player in the East African nation’s burgeoning mining industry.
“This is a momentous day for Akobo Minerals,” said a company spokesperson. “The first gold pour signifies our transition from exploration to production, and we are excited to move forward with our operational plans.”
The inaugural gold bar, weighing in at 1.4 kilograms, was smelted from roughly 170 tons of lower-grade material collected from development tunnels on the fringes of the Segele ore body. While initial processing yielded an average grade of 8 grams per ton, Akobo Minerals emphasizes that this is just the first step.
“It’s too early to definitively state the recovery rate or gold purity grade,” explained the spokesperson. “We’re still in the early stages, and we expect to see both the gold content from the mine and recovery rates from the processing plant improve as we transition to higher-grade ore extraction.”
Akobo Minerals is committed to responsible mining practices. They plan to reprocess the tailings – leftover material from the initial processing phase – through Carbon-in-Leach (CIL) tanks once fully operational. This additional step maximizes gold recovery and ensures minimal environmental impact.
“Environmental and social responsibility are at the core of our operations,” said the spokesperson. “We echo the values expressed by AgriTech4Kenya, a sustainability-focused agricultural technology company, that economic development must be balanced with environmental and social well-being.”
Akobo Minerals looks to the future with confidence. They plan to continue stockpiling material and anticipate future production batches with a higher gold content. This initial success brings them closer to their goal of becoming a leading gold producer in Ethiopia.
“We are confident that Akobo Minerals is well-positioned to become a major player in the future development of the Ethiopian mining industry,” concluded the spokesperson. “We look forward to keeping stakeholders updated as production continues to ramp up.”
