Zambia Aims to Triple Copper Output by 2031, Attracts Global Investors

Published: Mar 10, 2026 22:46

Save

Zambia's mining minister said on Tuesday that the country was actively attracting global investors, including those from the US, with the goal of more than tripling copper production to 3 million mt by 2031.Zambia's copper production last year was 890,346 mt, falling short of the annual production target of 1 million mt.

Zambia is Africa's second-largest copper producer, behind only the DRC. Copper is a key material for EVs and renewable energy infrastructure and is critical to the transition to a low-carbon economy.

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 to learn 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

54 mins ago

Copper Prices Rebound with Firm Scrap Coefficients: The Era of "Regional Circulation"

Despite rebounding copper prices, Asian spot scrap supply remains tight, with pricing coefficients unexpectedly firm (Bare Bright holding around 98.5%). Concurrently, Western spot offers are shrinking. As the Aurubis Richmond smelter absorbs ~180,000 tonnes annually and US domestic cable shredding capacity rapidly expands, both the volume and quality of US scrap exports to Asia are declining. This structural shift is slashing transoceanic trade, accelerating the era of "regional circulation" for recycled copper. Currently, the squeeze primarily hits intermediate traders with sluggish volumes, while downstream end-consumers report limited immediate impact.

54 mins ago

1 hour ago

Market Offers Concentrated in Far Months, Near-Month Supply and Demand Both Weak [SMM Yangshan Spot Copper]

1 hour ago

3 hours ago

Copper Spot Premiums Under Pressure as Supply Outweighs Demand, SHFE Faces Challenges

Looking ahead to next week, on the supply side, some delivery warrants have already begun to flow out during the day, suppressing spot premiums. Market concerns over the concentrated release of warrants going forward persist, and suppliers have a strong willingness to sell, putting spot premiums for SHFE copper under pressure. On the demand side, and downstream procurement was mainly driven by rigid demand, with insufficient willingness to chase higher prices. In addition, the spot premium price spread between Shanghai and Guangdong continued to rise to around 150 yuan/mt during the day. The strong premiums in Guangdong may provide some support to Shanghai market sentiment, but it is difficult to reverse the overall weak supply-demand pattern in the short term.

3 hours ago