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Zambia vows to recapture top copper producer status in Africa

Xinhua, May 16, 2017 Adjust font size:

The Zambian government has vowed to reclaim its top spot as Africa's number one producer of copper, a senior official said on Tuesday.

In 2013, the DRC overtook Zambia to become Africa's largest producer of the red metal, with output of 942,000 tons but the country suffered its first decline in production in 2015 although production was back up to just over 1 million tons in 2016 while Zambia's production last year stood at 770,588 tons.

But Minister of Mines Christopher Yaluma said Zambia was on its way to reclaim its top spot and attributed this to stable policies and the creation of conducive environment that have helped mining firms boost production.

"We're close, very close. I don't see any reason why we can't. It's about stable policies, and finding new ways to encourage mines to perform even better," he is quoted as saying by the Mining Zambia, a premier source of information on mining in the country.

He said the government has projected copper production to reach 800,000 tons this year and expressed optimism that the target will be met due to new investments by mining firms which has boosted production.

He further said the stable political situation in the country has resulted in increased investor confidence. Endit