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Mining had been going on in the regionknown today as Zambia long before the whitesettlers came on the scene. The mining was of a traditional and subsistence nature andconfined to surface outcrop deposits. Thenatives of Zambia would melt and mould the copper into ingots used as a medium ofexchange and other metal products, such ashand tools and weapons. Although on a small scale, the miningactivities by the natives were wide spreadacross the Copperbelt region and other places. In fact, most of the deposits discovered by the settlers were found with the assistance of local scouts, who had knowledge of the whereabouts of the copper minerals. TheChibuluma mine deposits are the only ones inZambia known to have been discovered without information passed on from the localpeople.It was the presence of copper in Zambiawhich led to the region being put under Britishindirect rule in 1889 (About.com, 2015) after the partition of Africa. The years following 1889 saw extensive exploration activities inthe region by western companies andindividuals. Exploration activities led to the first commercial copper being produced at Kansanshi, Solwezi, in 1908 (Roan Consolidated Copper Mines, 1978). Later,prospectors obtained concessions from theBritish South African Company (BSA) which had obtained mining rights in the area from King Lewanika of the Lozi in 1900 (About.com, 2015). As more copper depositswere found, Zambia was put under directBritish rule as a protectorate under the Colonial Office in 1924.Post-1924 saw the beginning of massiveinvestments in mine developments, led mainlyby American and South African companies. Asa result, there was an influx of white settlers into the area as well as natives who migrated from their villages to provide labour on the mines. Table I shows the increase in the whitepopulation during this period. Copper mining in Zambia – history andfutureby J. Sikamo* †, A. Mwanza †, and C. Mweemba †The Zambian copper mining industry as we know it today had its genesisin the 1920s. Consistent private sector-driven investment in the industry over a period of over 50 years in exploration, mine development and operation, development of minerals processing facilities, building of infrastructure for pyrometallurgical and hydrometallurgical processing, with attendant support facilities, including building of whole new towns, resulted in copper production rising to a peak of 769 000 t in 1969, providingover 62 000 direct jobs. The industry was nationalized in 1973 and remained in government hands for just over 24 years. During this period, the industry experienced a serious decline in production levels, reaching the lowest level in the year 2000 when production was 250 000 t. An average of just under 2000 jobs were lost every year in the 24-year period, reaching just over 22 000 direct jobs in 2000.Following the return of Zambian politics to pluralism and liberalizedeconomic policies, the government decided to privatize the mining industry. The process started in 1996 and by the year 2000 all the mining assets had been privatized. The new investors embarked on serious investment to upgrade the assets and to develop greenfield mining projects. Fourteen years later and after more than US$12 billion investment, production levels increased year-on-year to a peak of 763 000 t in 2013 with direct jobs reaching 90 000.This paper discusses the impact of the mining industry in Zambia onthe economy in areas such as employment, support for other industries, direct contribution to the national gross domestic product (GDP), foreign exchange earnings, and social amenities. The paper also focuses on the performance of the mines during these periods vis-à-vismineralavailability, mineral grades and complexity, new technologies, and human capital. This is looked at particularly in the light of current challenges the industry is facing. Suggestions are proposed on how the industry can be nurtured to continue being a major driver for the Zambian economy and a major player in the international copper mining business.copper mining, Zambia, history, nationalization, privatization, production,national economy.*Zambia Chamber of Mines.†Chibuluma Mines Plc, Zambia©The Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy, 2016. ISSN 2225-6253. This paperwas first presented at the, Copper Cobalt AfricaConference, 6–8 July 2015, Avani Victoria FallsHotel, Victoria Falls, Livingstone, Zambia.491VOLUME 116 dx.doi.org/10.17159/2411-9717/2016/v116n6a1
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