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Mines and Minerals Development Minister, Paul Kabuswe, says Zambia’s mining sector has staged a strong recovery, disproving claims that the industry was in decline.
In a telephone interview on Friday last week with Zambia Monitor, Kabuswe said renewed investment, rising copper output and improved productivity across the sector were already delivering tangible benefits to the economy, including the recent strengthening of the Kwacha.
“The mining sector is booming to the extent that those who claimed the mines were dead have been left without an argument,” he said.
Kabuswe noted that increased mining activity had played a significant role in supporting the local currency, with higher copper production contributing to improved foreign exchange inflows.
“One of the major contributors to the strength of the Kwacha is the high productivity in the mining sector,” he said, adding that both local and international economic analysts had linked the currency’s performance to rising copper output.
He said government’s deliberate focus on improving productivity in the sector was beginning to pay dividends.
“This is exactly what we have been talking about — enhancing productivity. When production increases, the impact is felt across the economy,” Kabuswe said.
The minister reaffirmed government’s ambition to raise annual copper production to three million metric tonnes, expressing confidence that the country was making steady progress towards the target.
“We are moving in that direction. Once we receive the consolidated end-of-year production figures, expected around mid-January, we will be able to clearly show the nation how close we are to achieving the three-million-tonne goal,” he said.
Kabuswe said higher copper production translated into wider economic gains, including increased income, stronger foreign exchange reserves, job creation and expanded opportunities for local suppliers and contractors.
Responding to criticism that government policies favoured mining companies, the minister said the outcomes spoke for themselves.
“The figures are there for everyone to see. We are reaching copper production levels that Zambia has never achieved before,” he said.
He expressed optimism that production figures for 2025 would break longstanding records.
“I am confident that the 2025 figures will reach levels Zambia has not seen in a very long time,”Kabuswe said.
Kabuswe also attributed the sector’s recovery to government’s approach of resolving disputes through dialogue rather than litigation.
“Some doubted us when we said there would be no mining matters in court. We chose dialogue, and that approach is resuscitating the sector and reflecting positively in the economy, starting with the strength of the currency,” he said.
He emphasised that mining remained a cornerstone of Zambia’s economic recovery.
“Every serious economic analyst is pointing to the mining sector as one of the key drivers behind the current positive momentum in the economy,” Kabuswe said.
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