Zambia's state-controlled mining investment firm, ZCCM Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH), has formed a joint venture with Mining Mineral Resources SAS to develop gold operations [1].
The partnership aims to transition the country's gold sector from an unregulated artisanal rush into a structured industry. By formalizing the trade, the Zambian government seeks to reduce disorder in mining zones and diversify the national economy away from its heavy reliance on copper [1, 3].
The venture will focus its operations in the Kikonge area of the North-Western Province [2, 4]. This region has seen a significant surge in activity since a gold rush began in 2025 [5]. The joint venture is tasked with exploring for new deposits and conducting active mining operations to extract the precious metal [1, 2].
Beyond extraction, the partnership will build processing facilities within the region [1, 2]. These facilities are intended to ensure that gold is refined and managed through official channels, rather than through illicit trade networks. This infrastructure is a key component of the strategy to formalize the artisanal gold trade [1, 3].
ZCCM-IH serves as the primary state vehicle for mining investments, and this move represents a strategic shift toward precious metals. The collaboration with Mining Mineral Resources SAS provides the technical and operational capacity needed to scale production in the Kikonge area [1, 3].
“Zambia seeks to diversify the national economy away from its heavy reliance on copper.”
This move signals a strategic pivot for Zambia as it attempts to mitigate the economic risks associated with copper price volatility. By formalizing the artisanal gold rush that began in 2025, the state is attempting to capture lost tax revenue and exert regulatory control over a previously chaotic sector, while simultaneously building domestic industrial capacity through new processing facilities.
