The mining sectors in Zambia and DR Congo have taken a severe hit following the decision of the international mining company Glencore to suspend its mining operations at its Mopani Copper Mines venture in Zambia and Katanga Mining venture in DR Congo for 18 months starting September 2015. Miners in both countries face regulatory uncertainty, high production costs and prices which have fallen considerably over the past twelve months in response...

The Zambian economy has been expanding at a rapid pace in recent years, but is facing uncertain times in 2015. Global copper prices fell sharply in December and January, and in March were trading around 20% below the levels achieved a year earlier. Copper exports are by far the single largest contributor to export earnings in Zambia (typically accounting for around 70% of total merchandise exports) and the fall in copper prices is undermining...

Zambia is by far Africa’s largest copper producer and has benefited greatly from rising output and historically high global copper prices over the past five years. According to the Zambia Development Agency (ZDA), copper production increased from 570,000 tonnes in 2008 to over 800,000 tonnes in 2012. Most recently, copper production rose by a further 20% in 2013 as new mining projects financed by international mining companies came on line. The...

Botswana has relied upon diamond mining for economic growth and political stability for many years. Diamond mining currently accounts for over one-third of GDP, the vast majority of export earnings, and about half of the government’s revenues. However, the drive for greater economic diversification is gathering pace as diamond production is expected to levels off over the next decade and reserves are set to run out in around 20 years’ time. As...

Foreign firms are competing for access to gold deposits in war torn Sudan. Mining companies are hopeful that Sudan holds a large amount of untapped gold reserves, while the government is desperate to find new revenue streams following the secession of South Sudan in 2011, which led to the loss of around three quarters of its oil reserves and a fifth of its population. Gold exports reached US$2.2bn last year and the government recently issued a...