After years of volatile policies and divestment, the election of Zambian President Hakinde Hichilema in 2021 ushered in a suite of investor-friendly policies that led to a sharp rise in Western mining investment. Zambia's annual exploration investment has more than doubled between 2019 and 2024. There have also been significant advancements in U.S.-Zambia minerals cooperation during this time, including increased U.S. engagement in Zambia's growing copper sector, the launch of the flagship Lobito Corridor Project, the Memorandum of Understanding between the United States, Zambia, and the Democratic Republic of Congo for battery supply chain development, and the opening of the first-ever Commercial Service Office at the U.S. Embassy in Lusaka.
Please join the CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program for a conversation on advancing U.S-Zambia minerals cooperation, particularly for copper. His Excellency Chibamba Kanyama, Ambassador of the Republic of Zambia to the United States, and Jito Kayumba, Special Assistant to the President of Zambia for Finance and Investment, will join Gracelin Baskaran, Director of the Critical Minerals Security Program at CSIS, to discuss this and more.
This event is made possible by general funding to CSIS and the CSIS Critical Minerals Security Program.
