Key Takeaways:
• USD 400m-plus — funding secured for Ethiopia’s Tulu Kapi gold project.
• GBP 9.7m — KEFI Gold & Copper reported a 2025 pretax loss.
• 27 months — full Tulu Kapi development schedule launched in March 2026.
• USD 240m — project finance debt forms the largest funding component.
• Mid-2028 — first gold production is targeted at Tulu Kapi.
• 1.05m ounces — Tulu Kapi ore reserves, with 1.7m ounces in mineral resources.
• USD 355m–697m — estimated average annual EBITDA during the first three production years.
Market Impact:
KEFI’s Tulu Kapi project is moving from development into execution despite the company’s 2025 loss, shifting the focus from exploration finance to mine delivery. The USD 400m-plus funding package gives the Ethiopian project a defined construction timetable and a mid-2028 production target.
For Ethiopia, the project is a material mining-sector signal because it combines project finance debt, contractor commitments and equity contributions around a large gold reserve base. The company’s estimates suggest Tulu Kapi could become a major cash-generating asset if construction and production targets are met.
KEFI’s weaker 2025 earnings underline the financing pressure behind the transition. The loss was driven by fair value investment losses, higher finance costs and a wider operating loss, even as administrative expenses declined slightly.
Key Numbers:
GBP 9.7m — 2025 pretax loss — reversal from prior-year profit
GBP 1.2m — 2024 pretax profit — comparison base
GBP 533,000 — fair value investment loss — main swing factor
GBP 6.1m — 2024 fair value investment gain — prior-year comparison
GBP 2.6m — 2025 finance costs — higher financing burden
GBP 2.4m — 2024 finance costs — comparison base
GBP 6.0m — 2025 administrative expenses — slightly lower cost line
GBP 6.2m — 2024 administrative expenses — prior-year comparison
GBP 6.7m — 2025 operating loss — widened operational deficit
GBP 3.6m — 2024 operating loss — prior-year comparison
27 months — Tulu Kapi development schedule — construction timeline
March 2026 — Development schedule launch — start of execution phase
USD 400m-plus — Total secured funding — project financing base
USD 240m — Project finance debt — largest funding component
USD 60m — Contractor commitments — delivery support funding
USD 100m-plus — Equity contributions — shareholder/project capital
Mid-2028 — First gold production target — revenue milestone
1.05m ounces — Ore reserves — mineable gold base
1.7m ounces — Mineral resources — broader project resource base
USD 3,000–5,000/oz — Gold price assumptions — project valuation range
USD 355m–697m — Annual EBITDA estimate — first three production years
USD 1.1bn — NPV at construction start — based on USD 3,000/oz gold
USD 2.4bn — NPV at production start — based on USD 5,000/oz gold
USD 2,500/oz — Lower gold price case — projected cash flow still exceeds debt
0.7% — KEFI share price gain — London Monday afternoon movement
1.15 pence — KEFI share price — London Monday afternoon level
08 June 2026 — Article update date — reporting timeline
Business Signal:
Tulu Kapi’s financing package positions Ethiopia’s mining sector for a major gold-production milestone, but KEFI’s losses keep execution and financing discipline central to investor risk.