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Stanbic Bank Zambia Chief Executive, Mwindwa Siakalima, said on Wednesday that partnerships across the mining ecosystem would be critical for the sector to achieve sustainable growth, urging closer collaboration among governments, mining companies, suppliers and financiers.
Speaking at an Association of Zambian Mineral Exploration Companies (AZMEC) breakfast event on the sidelines of the 2026 Investing in African Mining Indaba, Siakalima said the conference theme, “Stronger Together: Progress Through Partnerships,” reflected the continent’s needs at a time when Africa’s mining strength “lies in partnerships.”
He noted that the theme aligned with AZMEC’s focus on “Zambia’s Mining Future: Strategic Partnerships for Exploration, Investment and Sustainable Growth.”
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Siakalima said the bank had supported Zambia’s mining sector through tailored financing for greenfield and brownfield projects.
“As a bank, it is important that we understand the mining sector with a financing lens; to anticipate the sector requirements and be able to provide for complex projects such as those in the mines,” he said.
Siakalima said recent power shortages underscored the importance of multi-sectoral partnerships, adding that the bank had responded by financing major energy projects to keep mines operating.
He cited a US$71.5 million facility that supported the 100MW Chisamba Solar PV Project supplying First Quantum Minerals, and a US$55.5 million facility to Africa Greenco used to prepay for more than 130MW of electricity imports during the peak of the energy crisis.
He said the bank also acted as lead manager and underwriter for Copperbelt Energy Corporation’s US$96.7 million green bond issuance, funding a 136MW solar plant.
Siakalima said these deals with Kariba North Bank Extension Power Corporation, Africa Greenco and Copperbelt Energy “perfectly capture the importance of partnerships that came together to ease pressure on the grid and keep the mines running amidst the power crisis.”
He welcomed the Zambian government’s Statutory Instrument 68 of 2025 on Local Content Regulation, saying it would help integrate small and medium-sized enterprises into the mining supply chain.
“The bank is pleased to advise that it is ready to partner and support local companies to enable them to compete for bigger contracts and deliver with high standards,” he said.
“We continue to champion community-based enterprise development through capacity building. When local businesses grow, communities grow, and ultimately, Zambia and Africa will grow,” he added.
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