Mekelle, Tigray – The Ministry of Mines has confirmed that the Tigray Region is the leading gold supplier to the National Bank of Ethiopia (NBE), contributing over 41% of the country’s total gold supply in the first ten months of the 2017 Ethiopian fiscal year.
According to State Minister of Mines Mr. Million Matewos, Tigray supplied 12,210 kilograms of gold, out of a national total of 29,396 kilograms, generating an estimated $1.07 billion in revenue for the federal government.
Despite this massive contribution, the federal government’s annual budget allocation to Tigray is less than 10% of the amount it received from selling Tigray’s gold in just 10 months. That means while the government profited over $1 billion from Tigray’s resources, the region received less than $107 million annually in return.
This stark disparity has led to growing accusations of economic exploitation, particularly at a time when Tigray is grappling with post-war destruction, humanitarian crises, and a desperate need for reconstruction funds.
“Tigray is enriching the federal treasury while its own people are left in poverty and ruin,” said one regional economic analyst. “This is not just economic neglect — it is outright exploitation.”
Advocacy groups and activists are calling for a fair, transparent, and decentralized resource governance framework, demanding that revenues generated from Tigray’s natural resources benefit its people first and foremost.
The revelation is likely to fuel ongoing debates about economic justice, federalism, and post-conflict recovery, as Tegaru increasingly question how long they can contribute billions to the national economy while receiving only a fraction in return.
