Africa’s second-largest copper producer, Zambia produced 646,111mt of copper in January-September period. The production figures are from large scale mines.
Mines Ministry of Zambia, Richard Musukwa announced Thursday that copper production is up 9.45pc from the prior year, production was recorded at 590,321mt in January-September 2019.
Zambia government believes that despite COVID-19 related disruptions, prospect for the mining sector is high and looks positive. Musukwa also goes on to say that global commodity prices have started rising upwards which would encourage several mining companies to further increase production. Demand for copper is rising on the back of the ramping up of electric vehicles that consume the metal in high quantities and more will be required as technology advances, said Muswaka, according to reports by local media.
Zambia is house to several copper mines and the big four include Barrick Lumwana, Mopani, FQM Kansanshi and Konkola Copper Mines. The big four account for almost 80pc of Zambia’s total copper production.