Mohammed International Development Research and Organization Companies (MIDROC) is an

Ethiopian Ethiopians are the native inhabitants of Ethiopia, as well as the global diaspora of Ethiopia. Ethiopians constitute several component ethnic groups, many of which are closely related to ethnic groups in neighboring Eritrea and other parts of ...

mining and oil company owned by Ethiopian-born Saudi billionaire Sheikh

Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi Mohammed Hussein Ali Al Amoudi (; born 21 July 1946) is an Ethiopian-born Saudi billionaire businessman. Born in Ethiopia to a Yemeni father from Hadhramaut and a mother from Wollo Province, he migrated to Saudi Arabia with his brother Mauric ...

. It has operations in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Through its Corral Petroleum Holdings AB, MIDROC has become a major independent

oil company The petroleum industry, also known as the oil industry, includes the global processes of exploration, extraction, refining, transportation (often by oil tankers and pipelines), and marketing of petroleum products. The largest volume products o ...

. The company has perpetrated extreme human rights violations at Lega Dembi gold mine in the

Oromia Region Oromia (, ) is a Regions of Ethiopia, regional state in Ethiopia and the homeland of the Oromo people. Under Article 49 of 1995 Constitution of Ethiopia, Ethiopian Constitution, the capital of Oromia is Addis Ababa, also called Finfinne. The ...

of Ethiopia by improper disposal of

hazardous waste Hazardous waste is waste that must be handled properly to avoid damaging human health or the environment. Waste can be hazardous because it is Toxicity, toxic, Chemical reaction, reacts violently with other chemicals, or is Corrosion, corrosive, ...

including mercury, arsenic, and cyanide.

Operations

Midroc has operations across three continents, over 70,000 employees and a turnover of $25 billion. The group is active in various sectors, including industry,

venture capital Venture capital (VC) is a form of private equity financing provided by firms or funds to start-up company, startup, early-stage, and emerging companies, that have been deemed to have high growth potential or that have demonstrated high growth in ...

oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

and fuel production, energy and

mining Mining is the Resource extraction, extraction of valuable geological materials and minerals from the surface of the Earth. Mining is required to obtain most materials that cannot be grown through agriculture, agricultural processes, or feasib ...

MIDROC Ethiopia

MIDROC Ethiopia was established in 1994. In 2011 it made a profit of 1.3bn birr (US$70m). MIDROC has major

gold mining Gold mining is the extraction of gold by mining. Historically, mining gold from Alluvium, alluvial deposits used manual separation processes, such as gold panning. The expansion of gold mining to ores that are not on the surface has led to mor ...

interests in Ethiopia and it is reported that MIDROC Gold Mine (a subsidiary of MIDROC Ethiopia) has paid the Ethiopian Government 100.1 million birr in royalties, the largest contribution of any mining company. Midroc Gold is Ethiopia's sole gold exporter. Its

Lega Dembi Mine The Lega Dembi Mine is the largest gold mine in Ethiopia and is near Shakiso in Oromia Region. Lega Dembi has a yearly production of around 4,500 kg of gold and silver, and is owned by MIDROC. Pollution from the mine has resulted in environ ...

has a yearly average production of around 4,500 kg of gold and silver.

Human rights violations

Between 1997 and 2009, MIDROC's expansion of the mine caused

deforestation Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

and displaced Indigenous Gujii people from their ancestral land, denying their right to

free, prior and informed consent Free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) is aimed to establish bottom-up participation and consultation of an indigenous population prior to the beginning of development on ancestral land or using resources in an indigenous population's territory. I ...

. Locals have reported that mine security shoots at people if they get near the mine, and that employment opportunities have systematically excluded local people. Local people allege that Midroc dumped chemicals into rivers that residents used for drinking and for livestock, causing birth deformities and animal deaths. Protesters contend water and air pollution from the mine have caused respiratory illnesses, miscarriages, birth defects, and disabilities. Other reports include tumors, headaches, skin conditions, and vision problems. One healthcare provider reported that, "Mothers are having miscarriages every single day...I am not seeing this in other places, only around the mining site.” A field study in 2018-2019 found 19 children with "serious deformities and paralysis" in a survey of 36 households. Protests against the mine have been brutally repressed with mass arrests, killings, and disappearances. A 2016 report by

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

found that, “Security forces committed numerous human rights violations in response to the protests, including arbitrary arrest and detention, killings and other uses of excessive force, torture and ill-treatment in detention, and enforced disappearances.”

Other projects

MIDROC owns 70% of

National Oil Ethiopia National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

, which competes with YBF, TAF and five other companies in the national petrol market and is establishing a major steel plant (Tossa) in Amhara. The latter is Ethiopia's first industrial steel production plant and is intended to meet a major increase in domestic demand, estimated to rise from 1.2m tonnes to 3.1m tonnes per annum between 2011 and 2014. In August 2008, MIDROC opened a small cement factory on the outskirts of the town, which produces 4,000

quintals The quintal or centner is a historical unit of mass in many countries that is usually defined as 100 base units, such as pounds or kilograms. It is a traditional unit of weight in France, Portugal, and Spain and their former colonies. It is com ...

of cement per day. Some of the output of this factory was used in the construction of the larger Derba MIDROC Cement Factory, which is located 70 kilometers north of

Addis Ababa Addis Ababa (; ,) is the capital city of Ethiopia, as well as the regional state of Oromia. With an estimated population of 2,739,551 inhabitants as of the 2007 census, it is the largest city in the country and the List of cities in Africa b ...

and is the largest cement factory in Ethiopia. North Holdings Investment announced 17 October 2009 that it had completed a feasibility study for its own cement factory at Dejen, which would be built on 450 hectares of land. Construction of the factory will cost around US$1.6 billion, and once completed it would have a production capacity of nine million tons a year. MIDROC also built the

Sheraton Addis The Sheraton Addis is an international hotel located in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is part of Marriott International, Marriott's Luxury Collection. It has 293 rooms, as well as a number of villas. Profile The hotel was built by MIDROC#MIDROC Ethio ...

hotel.

Midroc Europe

Midroc Europe was a privately owned corporate group based in Sweden active in the

properties Property is the ownership of land, resources, improvements or other tangible objects, or intellectual property. Property may also refer to: Philosophy and science * Property (philosophy), in philosophy and logic, an abstraction characterizing an ...

construction Construction are processes involved in delivering buildings, infrastructure, industrial facilities, and associated activities through to the end of their life. It typically starts with planning, financing, and design that continues until the a ...

, industry and

environmental technology Environmental technology (or envirotech) is the use of engineering and technological approaches to understand and address issues that affect the environment with the aim of fostering environmental improvement. It involves the application of scien ...

sectors. In January 2022, the Midroc Group, which included Midroc Europe, became Granitor. In July 2024, MIDROC retain its name to Granitor in Sweden due to Wikström family’s increased holdings.

Midroc Middle East

Midroc Middle East is a privately owned corporate group active in the

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

and

and the industrial sectors. * ABV Rock Group Ltd * EG&G Middle East * Saudi ABV * Yanbu Steel * Metals Services * Trans Desert Transport * Golden Leaves

References

External links

http://www.midroc.com/
{{Webarchive, url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210523133417/https://www.midroc-ethiopia.com.et/ , date=2021-05-23 Home page Companies of Ethiopia Oil and gas companies of Ethiopia Petroleum industry in Saudi Arabia