Duma Calls for Mining Wealth to Drive Broad-Based Economic Transformation

Policy Analyst and Economist Zondwayo Duma says the future of Zambia’s economic transformation will depend on how effectively the country converts its mining wealth into broad-based productive capacity.

Mr. Duma says while macroeconomic stability, investor confidence and increased copper production are important, ordinary citizens ultimately measure economic progress through jobs, household incomes, business opportunities and the cost of living.

He says Zambia’s ambition to significantly increase copper production must therefore develop into a broader national development strategy rather than remain a narrow mining-focused agenda.

Mr. Duma says policymakers must focus on who will supply the expanding mining industry and how many Zambian businesses can manufacture the goods and inputs required by the sector.

He adds that engineering, maintenance, technology and professional services should increasingly be sourced from local firms to build a competitive ecosystem around Zambia’s mineral resources.

Mr. Duma has further stressed that local content policies should go beyond procurement quotas and include deliberate supplier development in areas such as finance, technology, standards, skills and contracting.

He says the ultimate goal should not simply be to extract more copper, but to build a diversified economy around the country’s mineral wealth and ensure that the mining sector becomes a genuine engine for industrialization and sustainable job creation.