Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has appointed Brenda Tambatamba as Minister of Mines and Minerals Development, placing a former mining industry executive in charge of the country's efforts to expand copper production.
Zambia’s Chambishi copper mine has recorded a new milestone in underground development, with a tunnel-boring machine excavating 422.4 metres in one month during trials on the Southeast Orebody Project.
Vedanta's Konkola Copper Mines plans a $317m, 300MW coal-fired power plant in southern Zambia, as President Hakainde Hichilema presses the company to accelerate investment to support copper growth.
Zambia exported 446,100t of refined copper in the first half of 2026, up 7.4%, while national mine production grew only 0.45% to 447,200t, official and company data show.
Zambia and the DRC have signed a bilateral agreement to streamline customs at Kasumbalesa and Mokambo, aiming to cut truck queue times that currently average 72 hours.
Kobaloni Energy is developing a 6,000-tonne-a-year cobalt sulphate refinery in Zambia aimed at European battery makers, positioning it as Africa's first large-scale plant of its kind.
CopperMopani Copper MinesZambian copper and cobalt producer founded in 2000 around the former Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines' Mufulira and Nkana operations. Ownership passed from ZCCM-IH to the UAE's International Resources Holding, which bought a 51% stake in March 2024.LuSE: ZCCM-IHCopperZCCM-IHZambian mining investment company created in 2000 as the successor to the state-owned Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines, retaining minority stakes across the country's privatised copper mines. The Zambian government owns 77.7% of the company.
