INSIGHTS FROM OPERATORS AND INTERVIEWEES

“Zambia is a strategic location with a geological endowment that is second to none. The endowment is here, but the policies to allow its exploitation are not. Exploration activities in Zambia currently stand at approximately US$25 million per annum, which is a sixth of the ongoing exploration happening in the DRC.”

Sokwani Chilembo, CEO, Chamber of Mines Zambia

“Even though Zambia is more stable economically, politically and offers a strong infrastructure, the DRC seems to attract more investors due to its troubled history that halted mining and exploration activities in the past. Therefore, it offers more in terms of unexplored provinces when compared with Zambia which is a smaller country. Namibia, Zambia and Botswana offer a low risk operational environment but at the cost of the lower grade of the ore.”

Tobias Posel, Managing Director, GeoQuest

“The Zambian market is much more mature, whereas the opportunities in the DRC still allows for Greenfields and expansion work compared to mainly maintenance and debottlenecking projects in Zambia.” Richard Van Den Barg, Managing Director, T3 Projects