COUNTRY IN FOCUS •
THERE IS MORE TO ZAMBIAN MINING THAN COPPER
There is more than copper to Zambian mining , writes Dr Nicolaas C Steenkamp .
Zambia is best known for the mining of copper and associated minerals from the Zambian Copperbelt . The country produced 763 287 metric tons of copper in 2022 , which accounts for approximately 70 % of the country ’ s income . Zambia , however , is host to a range of other minerals , metals and gemstones .
The country boasts an up-to-date mining cadastre platform , supporting other actions by the Zambian government to further increase interest in mineral exploration and mine development . Various reforms have taken place in the mining legislation sphere following the end of nationalisation of all natural resources and the country offers a well-established mining industrial and manufacturing sector , with available skilled labour .
Zambia produces in the order of 20 % of the world ’ s emeralds , being the second-largest producer after Colombia . The emeralds produced in Zambia have a blueish-green colour that appears a little darker than other gems produced in other regions and is the result of a mix of chromium and vanadium . These gems in general also have less inclusions . The largest emerald mine in the country , Kagem , is located in the southern portion of the Copperbelt region and is operated by Gemfields . It is 75 % -owned by Gemfields and 25 % owned by the Government of the Republic of Zambia and the mine comprises three open pits . The largest emerald discovered to date – in 2021 – was a 7 525carat ( 1,505g ) gemstone recovered from the Kagem operations .
Amethyst is a semi-precious gemstone which is mainly mined by producer Kariba Minerals ’ Mapatizya mine , which has been in operation in the Zimba district region for more than 50 years , producing more than 90 % of the amethyst originating from Zambia . Other semi-precious stones are also produced on a smaller scale and include : aquamarines , garnets , tourmalines , rose quartz , agate , amazonite and coloured quartz . The royalty on gemstones in Zambia is currently 3 %.
Manganese with grades between 40 % to 58 % occurs in the Luapula Province but have not been developed on a large scale . There are significant small-scale mining operations , mostly illegal , exploiting the manganese deposits . One limitation on setting up operations here is the lack of access to electricity and the low voltage of the power supplied to the area . As a result , the raw ore is transported for processing in Serenje District in the Central Province . There have been reports of a manganese smelter to be constructed by a Chinese company in the Kapiri Mposhi district .
Occurrences of various other deposits have been noted with iron ore found near Mumbwa and a coal deposit derived from the Maamba coal mine . This mine supports the first coal power plant in Zambia which was commissioned in 2016 / 17 to meet the electricity
shortfall – the country was previously completely reliant on hydroelectrical generation .
The gold mining sector is underdeveloped , with the Zambia Gold Company Limited ( ZGCL ) being established to develop the sector and to procure ASM-mined gold . There are twenty gold mines operating , with a further 300 known occurrences . The country has built 10 milling plants to process gold in a drive to formalise artisanal and small-scale miners .
Uranium was discovered in 2008 and a number of exploration projects have been undertaken over the last decade . Uranium is extracted at the Lumwana Mine in Northwestern Province as a by-product of its copper mining operations . The Mutanga Uranium Project consists of five main deposits : Mutanga , Dibwe , Dibwe East , Njame , and Gwabe , undertaken by GoviEx Uranium .
The country produces much of its domestic industrial minerals for the construction and mining sectors , with 14 cement manufacturing companies , clustered in Lusaka and Ndola . There are also number of small steel processing operations , but most iron and steel are imported .
The country boasts an up-to-date mining cadastral platform , supporting other actions by the Zambian government to further increase interest in mineral exploration and mine development . freevectormaps . com www . africanmining . co . za African Mining Publication African Mining African Mining • September 2023 • 15