Zambia produced 882,061 tonnes of copper in 2020, up 13.6% from 776,430 tonnes produced in 2019, Mines Minister Richard Musukwa said on Tuesday, calling it a “historical high” for Africa’s second-largest copper producer.
Musukwa said Zambia aims to produce more than 900,000 tonnes of copper in 2021, and has a long-term goal of exceeding 1 million tonnes in annual production.
A worldwide shift to electric cars, which use much more copper than cars using traditional combustion engines, is expected to boost production of the metal, Musukwa said.
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“The prospects for the mining sector look positive despite COVID-19,” Musukwa said.
Copper was discovered in Zambia in the late 19th century, and in the 1950s the Zambian copper belt dominated global production of the metal.
Source: Reuters
