HH – Zambia’s Mining Ambition Must be Environmentally Conscious

Zambia’s pursuit of growth in the mining sector must not come at the expense of environmental damage, President Hakainde Hichilema warned on Thursday. He was speaking with Hellen Clark, chairperson of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), an international organisation that seeks to establish global standards for the oil and mineral resources industries.

These words were pertinent given the recent spillage into the Kafue River, which demonstrated that more can be done in the name of environmental regulation. Whilst the President maintained his ambition for Zambia to process three million tonnes of copper per year, he noted that water quality must be protected at all costs.

“We agree that while we want three million tonnes of copper, it must not be done at the expense of damaging our water bodies. In this country, we still are able to sink a borehole fifty metres and drink the water because it is not polluted yet. We wouldn’t want our ambition in the mining sector to damage our surface water, our underground water, the cost is too high”, the President said.

At the same time, he did not shy away from making the positive case for growing the mining sector, and was keen to point out his government’s achievements in that regard, such as the reopening of Kalengwa mine after 47 years.  Diversification of the energy sector is essential after last year’s drought, which was a “wakeup call” exposing Zambia’s overreliance on hydroelectric power, he claimed. Also, it is a crucial source of foreign investment, the revenue from which has helped fund the government’s social programmes, like Education For All.

However, investment into Zambia’s mining sector must be inclusive and bring employment opportunities for the Zambian people, the president stressed: “we don’t want capital flow in this country without local participation”.

At the meeting, Ms Clark expressed that Zambia’s transparency, political stability, and strong rule of law make it an ideal destination of foreign investment, and President Hichilema’s words make clear that the government will pursue this investment, whilst maintaining high environmental standards.