President Hichilema To Attend Mining Indaba In Cape Town

President Hakainde Hichilema has been announced as one of the keynote speakers at this year’s African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa.

The event, which is taking place from 9 – 12th May, brings together key players across the African mining community and will be focused this year on the theme of ‘Evolution of African Mining: Investing in the Energy Transition, ESG and the Economies.’ 

President Hichilema will be joined by Botswanan President Mogkweetsi Masisi as one of the headline speakers at the event. 

This will be the first Mining Indaba to be hosted physically since the outbreak of the pandemic in 2020. The organisers describe it as a ‘must-attend’ event for any executive in African mining, with four-days packed full of investment discussions, deals and enhanced initiatives.

Mining, in particular copper mining, is the backbone of the Zambian economy, accounting for 9.9% of GDP and 78.4% of exports in 2019. Indirectly, the mining sector is thought to contribute as much as half of the country’s GDP and employ over 73,000 Zambians. 

The New Dawn government has already signalled that mining will play a pivotal role in their economic rescue plan, with an ambitious target to produce 3 million metric tonnes of Copper over the next three years. 

Investors are expecting big things from Zambia this year, following the election of President Hichilema in August 2021. Speaking in Cape Town in October, Peter Major, director of mining at Mergence Corporate Solutions, said “all eyes are on Zambia”; adding that the country would benefit from having “a real businessman” in charge.