ZAMBIA – A MINING NATION

Zambia has traditionally been home to a prosperous mining industry, the country renowned as Africa’s largest producer of copper and cobalt at one time in history.

During the past two decades, mining has continued to play an important economic role, owed to tremendous investment and growth driven by large-scale projects.

Looking at the immediate future, mining output is expected to increase by between four and five percent during 2019, a factor that is driving the country’s estimated 4.2 percent and 4.3 percent GDP growth in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

One key headwind for the country, however, is the falling price of copper. According to the African Development Bank, lower demand from China saw the price of the mineral drop 18 percent during 2018.

As such, diversification, such as that from Mabiza Resources and the Munali Nickel Mine, could be crucial for the country’s economic sustainability moving forward, provided relevant legislation to deliberately promote investment is not only put in place but nurtured to realise the benefits.