Zambian Mining Industry Looks to Election for Support to Expand Copper Production

Published: Aug 6, 2026 09:48

Save

With Zambia's general election scheduled for August 13, the country's mining industry is calling for stronger government support to accelerate copper sector expansion, including incentives for mineral processing, increased greenfield exploration and additional power generation capacity. Africa's second-largest copper producer aims to increase annual copper output to 3 million tonnes, nearly triple current production, to capitalize on rising global demand driven by electric vehicles, power grids and infrastructure development. Benchmark copper prices have climbed more than 40% over the past year to around US$14,000 per tonne. The Zambia Chamber of Mines said tax reforms and improved engagement between government and mining companies have attracted more than US$10 billion of investment since the 2021 election. President Hakainde Hichilema is expected to win re-election, with mining policies likely to remain largely unchanged.

Data Source Statement: Except for publicly available information, all other data are processed by SMM based on publicly available information, market communication, and relying on SMM's internal database model. They are for reference only and do not constitute decision-making recommendations.

For any inquiries or for more information, please contact: lemonzhao@smm.cn

For more information on how to access our research reports, please contact:service.en@smm.cn

Related News

8 mins ago

Copper Prices Shot Up, Suppressing Downstream Procurement; Spot Premiums Turned from Premium to Discount [SMM Shandong Copper Cathode Spot Weekly Review]

8 mins ago

9 mins ago

Copper prices hit a recent high, downstream unwilling to purchase, suppliers had to cut prices to sell [SMM South China Spot Copper]

9 mins ago

10 mins ago

High Copper Prices Suppress End-Users, Transactions Sluggish, Spot Copper Discounts in North China Further Widen [SMM North China Spot Copper]

Today, spot #1 copper cathode in North China against the front-month contract was quoted at a discount of 100-30 yuan/mt, with an average discount of 65 yuan/mt, a decrease of 60 yuan/mt from the previous trading day; the average transaction price was 107,915 yuan/mt, an increase of 825 yuan/mt from the previous trading day;

10 mins ago