By 
President Hakainde Hichilema says global partnerships are critical in achieving Zambia’s target of three million tonnes of copper per annum by 2031, as KoBold Metals breaks ground for the US$300 million Mingomba Mine project.
On Wednesday, Hichilema launched the start of shaft sinking at Mingomba Mine in Chililabombwe, a project tipped to become a future mining powerhouse due to the rich copper and cobalt deposits it holds.
“I don’t believe in impossibilities. Some doubted this project, but it has taken off. We shall keep pushing until we realise the three million tonnes,” he said.
Hichilema said his government remained committed to ensuring that Zambians benefit from the country’s mineral endowment.
Meanwhile, the United States government described the US$300 million Mingomba Mine as the single largest one-time investment in Zambia’s history, and a model for a new era of economic cooperation between the two countries.
He also said that:
“US-Zambia relations must endure, and will endure, because they are anchored in serving our people.”
He said that in this relationship, the people must remain at the centre of everything.
Hichilema maintained that the Mingomba Mine, an American-backed investment, embodied and strengthens this partnership.
US Ambassador to Zambia, Michael Gonzales, said the project demonstrated what a real, modern, and mutually beneficial economic partnership between the United States and Zambia could look like.
“What we are witnessing here at Mingomba is not just the start of a mine. It is the start of something larger,” Gonzales said.
He described US investor KoBold Metals as the “vanguard” of American investment in Zambia, bringing cutting-edge technology, global best practices, and integrity beyond capital investment.
“It is not just a hole in the ground. They recognize that a mine’s social license is earned through genuine partnership with the communities that host it—it’s not purchased,” he said.
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