The Zambian government has restricted unrefined copper exports to force foreign mining and industrial companies, especially Chinese firms, to build local processing plants.
As Africa’s second-largest copper producer, Zambia wants to process its own minerals at home rather than shipping raw materials directly to foreign factories.
Zambian officials are negotiating with major international industrial firms, including China’s Wuxi Jiangnan Cable, to build local manufacturing plants capable of turning raw copper into finished products such as high-voltage electrical cables and industrial components.
African countries are saying “NO” to raw export
The limits on raw metal exports reflect a broader regional push among resource-rich African countries aiming to move beyond basic extraction toward full-scale industrialization.
