Ethiopia's People, Economy and Communications

I was baffled by this observation:
Ethiopia is about twice the size of Texas, but with a paucity of natural resources...

According to the Ethiopian Business Development Services Network (EBDSN) Investment Guide:

Ethiopia offers excellent opportunities for mineral prospecting and development. According to the Ministry of Mines and Energy, “Ethiopia’s green stone belts offer one of the finest areas for gold mineralization any where in the world,” and already more than 500 metric tons of gold deposits have been identified by Government exploration efforts. Additional gold reserves are expected to be identified in at least seven regions of the country.

In addition to gold, Ethiopia is blessed with good deposits of tantalum, platinum, nickel, potash and soda ash. Included in the construction and industrial minerals are marble, granite, limestone, clay, gypsum, gemstone, iron ore, coal, copper, silica, diatomite, bentonite, etc. With regard to fossil energy resources, there are significant opportunities for oil and natural gas in the four major sedimentary basins, namely the Ogaden, the Gambella, the Blue Nile and the Southern Rift Valley. Details of the mineral resources have been published by the Ministry of Mines in two volume prospectus.