Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, is expected to increase its copper production by 40% to one million tonnes by 2027, up from 700,000 tons in 2023.

This ambitious target is outlined in Zambia’s Medium-Term Budget Plan for 2025-2027 and will be achieved through a multi-pronged strategy. This includes addressing issues at major mines, initiating production at newly discovered deposits, and expanding production at existing mines.

The country’s copper production hit a fourteen-year low in 2022, largely due to fluctuating mining taxes and conflicts with the previous government.

Copper is a crucial commodity for the global energy transition and accounts for a substantial 70% of Zambia’s export earnings.