Chililabombwe – Zambian President Hakainde Hichilema has officially launched the shaft sinking at Mingomba Mine in Chililabombwe, describing the development as the opening of a new chapter in the country’s mining history.
“This is the chapter that we are opening in the history of mining in this country. This means Zambia marching on in taking its rightful place globally in terms of copper production. Copper is much needed in today’s world, for various reasons,” President Hichilema said during the launch on Tuesday afternoon.
Unlike previous mining projects in Zambia, Mingomba is a greenfield mine, meaning it is an entirely new operation built from the ground up rather than an expansion of an existing one. American firm KoBold Metals holds 80 percent shares in the mine, while ZCCM-Investment Holdings holds the remaining 20 percent. 
“Today is a new chapter because Mingomba represents not a brownfield mine but a greenfield. This is a completely new mine and there will be new opportunities,” the President said after touring strategic areas of the mine.
President Hichilema thanked KoBold Metals for choosing to invest in Chililabombwe and said the partnership between the American firm and ZCCM-Investment Holdings would help the government derive more benefits from Zambia’s natural resources.
“These minerals are Zambia’s oil and gas and we want to use them to develop the whole country by improving the living standards of our people. These minerals should deliver more value for our people and share that value with the investors,” he said.
The President said his UPND New Dawn administration is proud of the Mingomba project and wants the mine to produce more value for the country. He added that exploration for copper, lithium, nickel and other minerals is already underway beyond Mingomba.
“This partnership must go on and I’m happy to say that more exploration for copper, lithium, nickel, and other minerals is being done,” President Hichilema said.
He called on Mingomba and other mines to make the local content principle work so that more Zambians can participate directly in mining projects. He also said the mine should support small businesses, particularly those based in Chililabombwe.
“Let’s use this Mingomba project to further deepen our partnership, the US-Zambia partnership,” the President said.
President Hichilema called on the communities of Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Chingola to protect the Mingomba investment, describing it as a worthwhile project for the region and the country as a whole.
