Zambia’s copper production fell 4 percent in the first quarter of 2026 compared with the same period a year earlier, Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe said on Wednesday.
Copper output totalled 208,992 metric tonnes in the three months to the end of March, down 4.27 percent from 218,308 metric tonnes recorded in the first quarter of 2025, Kabuswe said.
The figures include production from both large-scale mining operations and small-scale producers.
Despite the overall decline, output from large-scale mines rose 1.8 percent year-on-year during the quarter, helped by stronger production at several major operations.
Kabuswe said production gains were recorded at Lumwana Mine, Konkola Copper Mines and Mopani Copper Mines, among other sites.
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The increases partly offset lower output at other major mines, although the minister did not specify which operations recorded declines.
Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer after the Democratic Republic of Congo, has been seeking to raise mining production as part of broader efforts to strengthen economic growth and attract foreign investment.
Copper remains Zambia’s main export earner and a critical source of government revenue and foreign exchange.
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The southern African country has set ambitious targets to significantly increase copper production over the next decade, supported by investment in mine expansion projects and efforts to revive operations at previously troubled assets.
The latest figures come as regional copper producers face fluctuating global demand, operational challenges and volatile commodity prices.
The Democratic Republic of Congo, the continent’s top copper producer, also recorded weaker performance during the quarter, with exports of the metal falling nearly 15 percent, according to recent data.
Kabuswe also said Zambia’s cobalt production declined 9.15 percent year-on-year in the first quarter.
Cobalt, which is used in electric vehicle batteries and renewable energy technologies, is often produced alongside copper in Zambia and Congo, two of the world’s key suppliers of critical minerals needed for the global energy transition.
Analysts say Zambia’s mining sector remains central to the country’s economic recovery plans, particularly as the government works to stabilise public finances following debt restructuring efforts and years of economic strain.
