Published on 25 November, 2025
Lusaka, November 2025 – A team from the Critical Raw Materials Facility (CRM-F) undertook a mission to Zambia to take part in the EU–Zambia Lobito Corridor Business Forum. The Business Forum brought together industry leaders, policymakers and investors from both Zambia and the EU, in order to explore opportunities across the CRM value chain. During the Business Forum, local and international speakers presented on some of the key topics for Zambia’s CRM value chain, including:
- Unlocking hidden value in Zambia, showcasing advanced exploration technologies as enablers for future mining investment;
- Optimizing mining operations, with innovative approaches to mining services, tailings treatment, and circular economy practices; and
- Beneficiation of CRMs, emphasizing Zambia’s potential for local processing and manufacturing of high-value minerals.
Organisations from the EU, such as GTK and Xcalibur, are supporting the Government of Zambia in a country-wide remote sensing and data processing exercise, including under the EU-funded PanAfGeo program, to identify potential target areas for new mineral exploration. Meanwhile, international and local mining and exploration companies such as Anglo American, Kobalt Metals and Beltz Mining are already exploring and delineating potential new CRM deposits in Zambia, and awaiting the availability of new data to target new areas. The Government of Zambia has ambitious targets for its mining sector, such as increasing copper production to three million tonnes, and the direction of policy towards such activity is key to incentivising EU and private enterprise.
Zambia is one of the fastest growing economies in Africa, and the Lobito Corridor has the potential to support further development based on its mining and CRM potential. Zambian businesses are investigating CRM added value, and the panel highlight opportunities in copper and manganese, but while Zambia has had downstream activity in the copper sector in the past, the global CRM value chain footprint has changed significantly in the last two decades with rapid industrialisation in China. Opportunities for Zambia-EU collaboration exist, but both sides have their own challenges to overcome and thus globally competitive business cases are critical.
Overall, the Business Forum underscored the shared commitment between the EU and Zambia to build a sustainable and mutually beneficial CRM partnership, supporting responsible value chain development within the Lobito Corridor and beyond. The Business Forum also provided opportunities for networking and matchmaking with Zambian industry representatives and government decision-makers.
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