ZCCM-IH Joins Oversubscribed Zambia Showcase As Majors Seek Talks In Perth

Zambia has closed its participation at the 2026 Africa Down Under Conference in Perth with its country session oversubscribed and a run of bilateral meetings with some of the largest mining companies in the world.

The three-day conference, held from 2 to 4 September, drew more than 1,000 delegates. Zambia's national showcase was capped at 100 places and demand ran well beyond that, outstripping the numbers recorded by other African countries hosting comparable sessions.

Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development Permanent Secretary Dr Hapenga Kabeta said the demand reflected the confidence international investors now place in the sector. He held bilateral meetings with Fortescue, Teck Resources and BHP, alongside junior explorers, covering exploration, project development and longer term partnerships across the mineral value chain.

"When companies of the calibre of Fortescue, Teck Resources and BHP are sitting down with us to discuss real projects, it tells you that Zambia's story is being heard, and believed," Dr Kabeta said. "We are not simply marketing potential. We are having substantive conversations about capital, technology and partnership."

Zambia's Chargée d'Affaires to Australia and New Zealand, Ms Annah Lupenga, said the response showed Zambia was becoming central to the critical minerals conversation rather than merely part of it.

ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc, part of the delegation, said the interest validated its shift from passive shareholder to active partner. Chief Executive Kakenenwa Muyangwa said the task now is converting relationships built in Perth into projects.

Investors have been invited to continue discussions at the Zambia Mining and Investment Insaka from 19 to 23 October. Zambia has attracted more than US$12 billion in mining investment commitments since 2021, against a target of three million tonnes of annual copper production by 2031.