MTE EXHIBITIONS
Kansanshi Mine is one of Solwezi’s biggest mines and a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals.
Of the mine companies operating in Zambia, First
Quantum Minerals paid the highest tax, accounting for
41% of the industry’s tax payments – Kansanshi Mining
and Kalumbila Minerals among others. Konkola Copper
Mines (KCM) was the second highest taxpayer in the
industry, paying K1.24-billion while Lumwana Mining
Company paid K1.2-billion, and Mopani Copper Mines
K1.1-billion.
During the tour, MTE hosted three exhibitions in
Kalumbila, Solwezi and Kitwe respectively. Kalumbila is
a copper-nickel mine in north-west Zambia, also known
as Sentinel, and it represents one of the largest copper
reserves in Zambia and the world, with estimated reserves
of one billion tonnes of ore grading 0.51% copper.
Lumwana is another mine located in what is considered
to be one of the most prospective copper regions in the
world. Lumwana ore is treated through a conventional
sulphide fl otation plant producing copper concentrate
for smelting. The mine has about 207.6 million tonnes of
remaining ore reserves.
Solwezi is the capital of the Zambia’s North-West province,
home to about 65 000 inhabitants, many of whom work in
Solwezi’s main industry – copper mining. Kansanshi Mine,
one of Solwezi’s biggest mines, exploits copper-gold ore
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from Kansanshi Anticlinal and has been running since the
19th century. Lumwana, Solwezi’s other big mine, was
discovered in 1961, but serious work wasn’t carried out
there until Equinox Minerals became involved in 1999.
Uranium is also mined in Solwezi at the Lumwana Mine
north of Solwezi town.
Kitwe is the second-largest city in terms of size and
population in Zambia. It is also one of the most
commercially and industrially developed areas in the
nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka. It has a complex of
mines on its north-western and western edges.
Mopani copper minerals has invested about
USD1.3-billion in mining operations in Zambia. The
operations see the mine expanding by sinking and
equipping three new shafts in Kitwe. The shafts are
expected to increase the mine’s output from 3.8 million
tonnes of copper to 9 million tonnes by 2020.
These and other mines in the country refl ect Zambia’s
massive mining potential. Like many African countries,
the Zambia mining industry is facing a lot of challenges
– some of which are policy related. To overcome such
challenges, it is essential that key stakeholders including
government, industry and labour work together, for the
industry to meet its potential.
African Mining
African Mining November 2019
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