Zambia’s state-backed investment company has entered into a joint venture with a Chinese-owned firm to revive a nearly century-old lime and cement production facility in the country’s mineral-rich Copperbelt region, in a move aimed at supporting key industries and boosting industrial output.
ZCCM Investments Holdings (ZCCM-IH) announced on Wednesday that it had partnered with Wonderful Group to develop and operate the facility through a newly established company, Ndola Lime Limited.
The project will receive an initial investment of US$30 million from Wonderful Group and is expected to restore operations at a facility that has played a significant role in Zambia’s industrial sector for almost a century.
The Ndola Lime plant, located in the Copperbelt Province, has historically supplied lime products used in mining, construction and agriculture. However, operational challenges and financial difficulties forced the company into insolvency in 2018, halting production and threatening jobs.
ZCCM-IH said the partnership is intended to restore the facility’s ability to provide critical inputs to Zambia’s copper mining industry, which remains the backbone of the country’s economy.
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The revival programme will be implemented in three phases.
The first phase will focus on constructing and commissioning a new lime production plant with a capacity of 600 metric tonnes per day. The facility is expected to help meet growing demand from copper producers, who rely on lime for mineral processing and refining operations.
The second phase will involve either the development of a cement processing plant or the construction of an additional lime production line, depending on market demand and commercial viability.
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A third phase will see further expansion of operations, subject to prevailing market conditions and industry requirements.
Under the terms of the agreement, Wonderful Group will hold a 55 percent stake in Ndola Lime Limited through a $25 million equity investment and a US$5 million shareholder loan.
ZCCM-IH will retain the remaining 45 percent shareholding by contributing operating assets and writing off approximately US$9.8 million in historic debt owed by the facility.
The partnership reflects Zambia’s broader efforts to attract foreign investment into strategic sectors while revitalising state-linked industrial assets that have struggled in recent years.
The government has prioritised increasing domestic industrial production and strengthening supply chains that support the mining sector, particularly as copper output is expected to rise under plans to expand production to three million tonnes annually over the coming decade.
Industry analysts say the rehabilitation of the Ndola Lime facility could help reduce reliance on imported industrial inputs while creating jobs and stimulating economic activity in the Copperbelt region.
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The project also underscores growing economic cooperation between Zambia and China, one of the country’s largest investors and trading partners.
For Zambia’s mining industry, the return of large-scale lime production is expected to provide a more reliable local source of a key industrial material, helping improve operational efficiency and support future growth in copper production.
If successfully implemented, the venture could mark the revival of one of Zambia’s oldest industrial facilities and contribute to the country’s ambitions of expanding value-added production and industrial development.
