Construction mineral producers will face stricter licensing requirements, tighter environmental standards and greater regulatory scrutiny under a new government directive introduced by the Addis Abeba City Environmental Protection Authority. The Construction Minerals Licensing Directive raises the threshold for obtaining production licences for construction materials such as crushed stone, gravel, sand and river aggregates. Applicants will be required to secure legally recognised land-use rights, obtain approved environmental and social impact assessments, submit feasibility studies and provide financial guarantees to cover post-mining land rehabilitation before operations can begin. The rules tighten the requirements for mining permits by strengthening environmental and land-use safeguards while limiting licence terms to five years for black stone and two years for other construction minerals. Extraction will be prohibited within designated buffer zones surrounding residential areas, industrial parks, rivers and other water bodies, electricity transmission corridors, protected ecosystems, cemeteries, religious institutions, and sites of historical or cultural significance, substantially reducing the land available for future quarry development. The directive also expands regulatory oversight by introducing digital licensing and record-keeping systems, strengthening field inspections, and intensifying enforcement against illegal quarrying and the trade in unlawfully extracted construction minerals.
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