Ethiopia mulls new potash partner as failed deal is arbitrated

Ethiopia is considering finding a new partner to develop a potash mine abandoned last year by Israel Chemicals, which has sought compensation at an arbitration court after accusing the government of failing to support the project. Several companies are interested in developing potash deposits in the country’s northeastern Afar region, Mines Minister Motuma Mekassa said in an interview Wednesday in the capital, Addis Ababa. The government is eager to begin work on the project as long as there are no legal hindrances from the arbitration process currently under way in The Hague, though no discussions with prospective investors have taken place yet, he said.