Zambia unveils new guide highlighting critical minerals potential

Zambia has launched a ground-breaking guide showcasing its vast potential in critical minerals, positioning the country as a future powerhouse in the global clean energy transition.

Titled Critical Minerals Potential of Zambia, the report was unveiled last week in Lusaka through a collaboration between the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development and the British Geological Survey (BGS).

The initiative is funded by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and BGS’s International Geoscience Research and Development Programme, reflecting a strengthened partnership between Zambia and the UK.

The publication highlights Zambia’s abundant and emerging critical mineral resources—such as lithium, cobalt, graphite, and rare earth elements—which are essential for green technologies and resilient global supply chains.

It offers the first comprehensive presentation of geological data, exploration activities, and production statistics for these minerals.

“This guide will help kickstart the next chapter in Zambia’s economic development,” said Clive Mitchell, BGS Project Leader.

Mitchell said: “Zambia’s lithium, cobalt, and other minerals are sorely needed to decarbonise global power and storage systems.”

The Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development had identified eleven critical minerals: cobalt, columbite-tantalite, copper, graphite, lithium, manganese, nickel, rare earth elements, sugilite, tin, and uranium.

“As the world moves towards a low-carbon future, Zambia is ready to play a vital role by responsibly developing our critical mineral resources,” said Gerald Mwila, Director of the Geological Survey Department.

The guide comes as Zambia intensifies efforts to become one of Africa’s leading producers of critical minerals.

The country has already boosted manganese and nickel production and aims to triple copper output to three million metric tonnes annually by 2031.

In a landmark development, Zambia is set to launch Africa’s first cobalt sulfate refinery by year-end.

The facility will be among the few outside China capable of producing this vital compound used in lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles and electronics.

With global demand for clean energy materials surging, Zambia’s new mineral guide offers a timely roadmap for investors, policymakers, and researchers eager to tap into Africa’s expanding critical minerals frontier.

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