Mopani

Mopani Copper Mines is a major copper and cobalt mining company operating in Zambia's Copperbelt province, with operations centred on Kitwe and Mufulira. It ranks among the country's largest copper producers, operating underground mines, concentrators and a smelter. The company was long majority-owned by Glencore in partnership with First Quantum Minerals, before the Zambian government, through ZCCM Investments Holdings, acquired full ownership in 2021. Mopani supplies copper and cobalt for export, contributing significantly to Zambia's foreign-exchange earnings and to Copperbelt employment. The company has faced periods of financial distress, care-and-maintenance suspensions and underinvestment, prompting government intervention to secure jobs and production. Its performance is closely tied to global copper prices and to Zambia's broader mining policy, including taxation and royalty regimes. Mopani's operations are significant to regional economic activity in Kitwe, Chingola and surrounding mining towns. The company has periodically sought new investment partners to fund expansion and modernise ageing infrastructure. Its fortunes are frequently cited as a barometer of the health of Zambia's copper-mining sector.