Copperbelt Business Groups Praise President’s Commitment To Mining Sector
Business groups and other stakeholders on the Copperbelt have praised President Hichilema for his commitment to the mining sector; in particular his pledge to unlock opportunities for local suppliers and contractors.
On Saturday, the President addressed a large crowd of residents at the Chaganamai grounds in Kitwe. During his speech, he reiterated the government’s commitment to unlocking opportunities at Konkola and Mopani Copper Mines in order to create local jobs.
The Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) described the news as “welcome”, saying that it was something local small and medium-sized enterprises had been looking forward to for some time.
ZAM President Ashu Sagar said the priority for the government should be to allow local contractors and suppliers to participate in mineral resource value chains. He observed that President Hichilema’s plans to resuscitate the Zambian economy chimed well with this.
In recent weeks the government has been working to unlock operations at the previously gridlocked Konkola Copper Mines and Mopani Mines. Last week, KCM’s provisional liquidator Celine Nair announced the mine would be appointing an adviser to held find a new equity investor willing to fund the mine’s expansion. She also announced the resumption of operations at KCM’s open pit mine.
At Mopani Mines, meanwhile, the government recently announced plans to resume cobalt production after it was halted more than a decade ago. The move will help Zambia capitalise on the accelerating market for electric vehicle batteries, in which cobalt is a vital resource.
In Saturday’s speech, President Hichilema also announced that the government was prioritising works on the Ndola-Mufulira and Chingola-Chililabombwe-Kasumbalesa roads. Mr Sagar similarly described this as a positive step, with the roads providing key infrastructure to enhance trade between Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
“As a manufacturing sector, we rely on these border posts to take our goods to Congo which is one of the major markets, I think this is a very welcome move by the President that we have the roads worked on, as soon as possible,” he said.