President Hakainde Hichilema called on mining companies to give full effect to the Local Content Law so that more Zambians benefit from the sector. He also challenged Mopani Copper Mines to unlock more copper from its tenements as Zambia pushes towards three million tonnes a year by 2031.

The Head of State made the call in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, when he met Ali Rashed al-Rashdi, chief executive officer of International Resources Holding (IRH). IRH owns Mopani together with ZCCM Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH). The Local Content Law, which took effect this year, requires mining and related companies to give priority to local businesses for goods, services and contracts.

The President said the Government would make sure the country’s minerals pay off at home. “For our part, we remain committed to ensuring that our natural resources, copper among them, deliver real benefits to our people as we implement the Grow Zambia Agenda,” he said in a statement on his official Facebook page.

He placed Mopani at the heart of the production drive and linked its success directly to the national target. “Raising copper production to three million tonnes a year is central to our Grow Zambia Agenda, and Mopani Copper Mines is key to reaching that target for the benefit of its shareholders and, above all, the Zambian people,” he said.

The President said he was encouraged by progress at the mine but wanted the company to build on those gains and get the most out of the asset. Mopani’s licence area, he said, was extensive and needed more exploration and other techniques to identify and unlock additional mineral resources. He added that the Government had kept its policies, laws and regulations for the sector consistent, giving investors certainty.

Mr al-Rashdi pledged the company’s support. He said IRH remained committed to helping Zambia reach three million metric tonnes and that Mopani would keep exploring tenements that could increase output.

ZCCM-IH board chairperson Phesto Musonda said the mine was already responding, having recorded its highest level of ore mining in the last three months. He said some areas closed for several years were being brought back into operation, raising Mopani’s production capacity, and that ZCCM-IH would keep working with its partners to unlock the asset’s full potential.

The President is in the UAE on a two-day working visit at the invitation of UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. He said partnerships and inward investment were essential to his economic programme. “Our focus in Abu Dhabi is to attract investment and promote private sector-led growth by advancing value addition and industrial development. We look forward to a productive two days,” he said.

Lengwe Bwalya, executive director of the Rhoma Foreign Relations Institute, said the trip had strategic weight as the President’s first foreign trip since his renewed mandate last month. He pointed to the ownership link that makes the UAE central to the copper plan. “Remember, the IRH, under their subsidiary Delta Mining Limited of UAE, holds a 51 percent stake in Mopani Copper Mines on the Copperbelt, which is a key strategic asset in our Grow Zambia Agenda,” he said.

The copper push comes with strong prices. Zambia Statistics Agency statistician-general Sheila Mudenda said refined copper export earnings rose 6.1 per cent to US$1,098.2 million in August. London Metal Exchange prices averaged US$14,353.4 per tonne, up from US$13,525.2 in July.

Refined copper export volumes between January and August reached 608,100 tonnes, 9 per cent higher than the 558,000 tonnes recorded over the same period in 2025. Mining has also carried the Treasury, driving income tax above target this year on the back of favourable copper prices and improved company profits.

Mopani will now continue exploring its tenements under the commitment Mr al-Rashdi gave, while the President completes his two-day programme in Abu Dhabi.

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