Luapula Mineral Processing Project a Boost for Industrialisation
The Zambian Government has described a new mineral processing investment in Luapula Province as a major milestone in the region’s drive towards industrialisation, value addition, and job creation.
Luapula Province Permanent Secretary, Prudence Chinama-Kangwa, said the initiative marks the first successful large-scale mineral processing project in the province and demonstrates Government’s commitment to transforming the country’s natural resources into economic growth at source.
Speaking during a courtesy visit by a delegation from Musamu Resources Ltd, a wholly Zambian-owned large-scale mining company, and Japan’s Hanwa Company Limited, led by Founder and Executive Chairman Dr Sixtus Mulenga, Mrs Chinama-Kangwa said the project will ensure manganese is processed locally rather than transported in its raw form. This, she added, will stimulate new industries and attract further investment.
She praised Dr Mulenga, a mining geologist with over 45 years of experience in Zambia’s mining sector, for turning a 12-year exploration programme into the country’s first wholly indigenous large-scale manganese mine, located in Chipili District.
Officially launched in November 2022 by President Hakainde Hichilema, the mine has a JORC2012-classified resource of approximately 40 million tonnes at an average grade of 43%, with production expected to reach one million tonnes of manganese ore per year by its fifth year.
Highlighting the resilience of local entrepreneurship, Mrs Chinama-Kangwa noted that Luapula’s mineral potential had remained largely untapped for decades. She assured investors of Government’s full support, citing enhanced electricity supply from the 50-megawatt Mabumba Solar Power Plant and the upcoming Pensulo 330KV transmission project, which will strengthen the province’s integration into the national grid and support large-scale industrial operations.
Preparations for the Luapula Business Exposition, scheduled for 20–24 April 2026, are already underway, with Government engaging stakeholders to showcase opportunities in mining, agriculture, energy, and tourism.
The Permanent Secretary emphasised that the project aligns with President Hichilema’s vision for value addition and industrial development, underpinned by strategic partnerships such as Zambia’s critical minerals collaboration with Japan.
Dr Mulenga said the investment fulfils a bilateral agreement signed between Zambia and Japan during President Hichilema’s visit to Tokyo, aimed at strengthening cooperation in critical minerals development.
He added that Musamu Resources is poised to supply large volumes of manganese ore under long-term contracts, contributing significantly to both provincial and national economic growth.
The delegation from Japan included Hanwa Company Limited General Manager for the Johannesburg Branch, Rammaru Suzuki, and Kai Mizuguchi from the Primary Metal Department in Tokyo.
