Africa’s second largest copper producer waives taxes on 271,000 tons of copper exports

The Southern African country of Zambia has extended its temporary waiver of the 10% export tax on copper concentrates until September 30, giving mining companies more time to move unprocessed material while critical smelting plants are out for maintenance and repairs.

• Zambia has extended the suspension of the 10% export tax on copper concentrates until September 30 due to ongoing smelter maintenance and technical issues.
• The waiver aims to help mining companies export unprocessed copper stockpiles that cannot currently be processed domestically.
• A total of 271,742 metric tons of copper concentrate can be exported under this exemption, with major beneficiaries including Mopani Copper Mines, Lumwana Mining Company, First Quantum Minerals, Nkana Mining, Lubambe Copper Mine, and Konkola Copper Mines.
• Zambia exported 890,346 metric tons of copper in 2025 and has set a target of 3 million metric tons annually by 2031.

The move is intended to alleviate the accumulation of copper concentrate stocks as various smelters around the country continue to face operational and technical issues that have limited processing capacity.

Historically, Zambia, one of Africa’s top copper producers, has exported the majority of its copper as processed cathodes rather than raw concentrates.

Zambia exported 890,346 metric tons of copper in 2025, with the ambitious goal of raising yearly production to 3 million metric tons by 2031, as seen on Reuters.

The country revealed that the tax suspension, which was initially implemented in August 2025, covers a total of 271,742 metric tons of copper concentrate permitted for export under the exemption plan.

Among the beneficiaries, Mopani Copper Mines received the largest allocation, with permission to export up to 100,000 metric tons of copper concentrate without paying the duty.

International Resources Holding, located in Abu Dhabi, and ZCCM-IH, Zambia's state-owned mining investment corporation, own the mining company jointly.

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Lumwana Mining Company, controlled by Barrick Mining, has been given a duty-free export quota of 56,986 metric tons.

First Quantum Minerals and Chinese-owned Nkana Mining and Minerals Processing were each awarded around 43,000 metric tons.

Meanwhile, Lubambe Copper Mine, majority-owned by China's JCHX Mining, earned a 15,000-metric-ton permit.

Vedanta Resources' Konkola Copper Mines received a quota of 12,541 metric tons as part of the extended exemption program.

This move is hardly the only one initiated to maximize the revenue from the country’s resources.

Last Month, Zambia’s state ​investment company, ZCCM Investments Holdings, recently relayed its intent to increase its minority stakes in mining assets.

The Zambian investment corporation owns as little as 10% of the country's mining assets, including those of China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group, First Quantum Minerals, and Vedanta Resources.

In the same month, ZCCM Investments Holdings initiated a new gold-focused joint venture with the goal of uncovering new mineral wealth in Zambia's northwest in an attempt to expand its mining footprint beyond copper.