The lack of downstream development in Zambia’s copper mining industry is a concern that nonprofit organisation the Copper Development Association Africa (CDAA) seeks to address through government support, reports CDAA director Evert Swanepoel.

He explains that Zambia exports nearly all its copper and that this lack of downstream development is regrettable, given that the country has some of the biggest copper mining developments in the world and a 13.3% unemployment rate. However, although the CDAA has been presenting various opportunities for downstream development to the Zambian government for the past four years, the association has not yet been successful in securing government support for these initiatives.

The CDAA is attempting to develop a downstream industry through the promotion of the use of copper in the electrical, automotive, aquaculture, plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning, as well as healthcare, industries. Crucial to advancing downstream development is the CDAA’s ability to partner with the Zambian government and the mines operating in the country.

A particular area of interest for the CDAA is promoting the use of antimicrobial copper to the 111 healthcare facilities in Zambia. Swanepoel explains that hospital-acquired infections in hospitals and clinics have resulted in the death of thousands of patients in the country each year, and that these deaths can be prevented through the installation of antimicrobial copper touch surfaces in healthcare facilities.

“[This will not only] reduce the high infection rate but also create job opportunities in Zambia through joint ventures with South African companies to produce products from copper tops, bedside tables, over-bed tables, door handles and push plates to intravenous stands,” he says.

Swanepoel further notes that the introduction of copper fish cages holds tremendous advantages for the aquaculture industry, which is one of the fastest-growing food industries in the world. Copper nets are antimicrobial, destroying bacteria, viruses and other microbes, and prevent an undesirable accumulation of microorganisms on the structures. This results in farming healthier and larger fish and improved cost effectiveness, as the nets do not have to be removed for monthly cleaning.

The CDAA attended CBM-TEC, viewing it as a platform to engage government and the private sector on downstream development. However, owing to the lack of advancement on this front, the association will not attend this year’s event. Swanepoel maintains that the continued success of the event will rely on the strength of the Zambian government’s commitment to assist in developing small and medium-sized enterprises in the copper mining industry.

Acknowledging the current global commodities downturn, particularly its effect on the Zambian economy, which relies extensively on copper exports, Swanepoel says, “perhaps, there is no better time than the present to escalate communications with the powers that be in Zambia in order for the copper industry to take full commercial advantage when the country’s economy improves”.

He concludes: “We are ready and willing to pursue further talks with the Zambian government.”