Zambia hands part of copper slag dump to community

By James Kunda

LUSAKA, Zambia (AA) - Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema announced Monday that his government had handed over a portion of a controversial copper slag dump to cooperatives owned by youth and women.

The infamous “Black Mountain,” located in Kitwe, one of Zambia’s historic mining towns in Copperbelt Province, has been an asset of contention for decades as a haven for illegal mining activities.

“Our women, youth and the communities in which mining operations are based are highly expectant and deserve to be included in various aspects of the mining industry’s supply chain, and in an effort to empower Zambians, our government has decided to make available part of the Black Mountain in Kitwe,” said Hichilema in a statement in the capital Lusaka.

He said that following consultations and due diligence, the portion would be run by cooperatives owned by Zambian youth and women who have been granted licenses to operate.

“We promised the people of Copperbelt better circumstances where they will have access to support that will enable them to be active participants in the mining sector, and we are pleased to announce that contracts have since been signed between the beneficiaries and the identified mining operators with the necessary equipment and qualified staff who have already undergone safety training,” he added.

Kunda Chani, president of the Small Scale Miners Association of Zambia, welcomed the development, saying it was timely and would assist the beneficiary communities in realizing monetary benefits from mineral sales.

“We are happy with the development, and as the president has stated, this will change the economic landscape in the province and beyond,” Chani said in a phone interview from Kitwe.

Copper slag is the waste material produced in the extraction process of copper metal in refinery plants.

Zambia is Africa’s second top copper producer, averaging 800,000 tons per annum.

According to Hichilema, exploitation of the slag dump by communities is expected to push the country towards achieving a new copper production target of 3 million tons per annum.