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The Citizens First Party has called for the establishment of dedicated industrial parks focused on mineral beneficiation, manufacturing and fabrication, saying such hubs were essential for anchoring downstream industries and stimulating domestic production.
Party spokesperson, Dalitso Tembo, told Zambia Monitor in an interview that value addition should become “a national economic doctrine supported by policy, protected by institutions, and sustained across successive administrations,” rather than remaining a political slogan.
Tembo said Zambia had the capacity to expand its mineral processing capabilities through strategic partnerships with countries that possessed advanced industrial technology.
She added that investment in engineering, metallurgy and technical education was critical for developing advanced processing, manufacturing and innovation systems.
“Clear, consistent and investor-friendly policies that promote value addition and export-oriented manufacturing are essential to attract long-term industrial investment,” she said.
Tembo stressed the importance of positioning Zambia within regional and global supply chains, particularly in battery minerals and electric-vehicle component manufacturing.
She said strategic partnerships with technologically advanced nations would accelerate domestic industrialisation.
“Global demand for processed copper and battery minerals continues to grow significantly, driven by renewable energy systems, electric vehicles, digital infrastructure and global industrial expansion,” she said.
She noted that minerals such as Lithium, Cobalt, Nickel, Graphite and Manganese were increasingly central to the future global economy.
Tembo said Zambia held strategic strength in copper and cobalt production, along with world-class gemstone resources, and—with deliberate policy direction and investment—could compete effectively on the global market.
She also highlighted the need to maintain competitive production costs while meeting international quality standards and improving transport infrastructure and logistics corridors.
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“The country must prioritise the expansion of domestic manufacturing capacity. Protection of investor confidence through policy consistency and the rule of law,” she said.
Tembo added Zambia possessed abundant mineral resources and already had foundational processing infrastructure needed for industrial expansion. What remains, she argued, was sustained investment in energy, manufacturing, technology transfer and institutional stability.
She said reducing the export of unprocessed and semi-processed minerals reflected a sound national economic direction.
“This policy will increase foreign exchange earnings, create employment, strengthen industrial capacity, and ensure Zambia captures maximum value from its natural resources,” she said.
Exporting raw minerals, she added, was “equivalent to exporting jobs, industrial opportunity and national revenue,” stressing that Zambia should instead export finished products to secure long-term economic prosperity.
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