KEFI Gold and Copper has announced the recommencement of development activities at the Tulu Kapi Gold Project in Ethiopia.
Work at the site had been suspended since September 2026 due to “the Genji Incident”, which was the first event in KEFI’s 12 years of involvement at the project where a company employee was injured or killed.
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The incident, which took place on 4 September 2026, ended on 10 September after engagement with the local community.
Following the suspension, KEFI’s senior management held extensive consultations with representatives from local communities, Ethiopian and Oromia government officials and agencies, and other stakeholders.
Discussions centred on issues including community needs, localisation of project operations and security measures at the site.
KEFI Gold and Copper executive chairman Harry Anagnostaras-Adams said: “We are enjoying huge support from all stakeholders and are now restarting development with a phased and measured approach in which we reinforce the emphasis on safety and community benefits.
“If in production today, the Tulu Kapi Gold Project would be directly employing approximately 1,000 people from the local community and have provided new roads, electricity connection, education and health facilities along with new local industry, which will have been catalysed to provide the large production operation with food and other supplies.”
Based on the outcomes of the discussions, KEFI stated that it would resume Tulu Kapi’s development in phases.
The first stage of construction involves reconnecting the project to the electrical grid and remobilising teams to build access roads.
The company indicated that subsequent steps will include replacing housing and land for communities affected by the mining licence area, followed by initial construction work on the site itself.
This work will include installing security infrastructure, undertaking bulk earthworks for processing facilities and constructing permanent accommodation for staff.
KEFI also said that its international mining specialist staff and contractors would prioritise employing local companies with strong experience in the region.
According to the company, lenders remain supportive of the project during ongoing discussions regarding development schedules and financing arrangements.
KEFI further noted that there has been a positive response from Ethiopian stakeholders, as well as from local investment and construction sectors, towards continuing and potentially increasing support for the project.
In June 2026, KEFI signed a mining services contract worth more than $400m (€349.55m) with the BCM Group for the Tulu Kapi project.
