# Zambia president restates copper target and warns against idle mining licences

> Hakainde Hichilema said stalled projects would need to resume for Zambia to reach its three-million-tonne annual copper goal.

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- Publisher: Newsverum
- Section: Business
- Country: Zambia
- Published: 2026-10-21T00:44:04+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-21T00:44:04+00:00
- Event / data period: 2026-10-19
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President Hakainde Hichilema warned companies against holding mining licences for speculative purposes at the Zambia Mining and Investment Insaka in Lusaka on 19 October. The State House said the government would enforce a “use it or lose it” policy.

Hichilema cited a national goal of three million metric tonnes of copper a year and said Konkola Deep should contribute 300,000 tonnes toward it. These are a target and planned project contribution, not current output; the release gives no timetable.

## Data

### Zambia annual copper production target

Goal and project contribution cited by the State House.

Methodology: Three million tonnes is a national target; 300,000 tonnes is the cited Konkola Deep contribution. Neither is current output.

| Measure | Million metric tonnes |
|---|---|
| National output target | 3.0 |
| Konkola Deep project contribution | 0.3 |

Sources: <https://www.sh.gov.zm/president-hichilema-warns-against-hoarding-mining-licences/> · Download data: [JSON](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/zambia-president-sets-copper-output-target-and-warns-mining-licence-hoarding/data/official-source-data?lang=en&format=json) · [CSV](https://newsverum.com/api/v1/articles/zambia-president-sets-copper-output-target-and-warns-mining-licence-hoarding/data/official-source-data?lang=en&format=csv)

## Sources

- [State House, Republic of Zambia](<https://www.sh.gov.zm/president-hichilema-warns-against-hoarding-mining-licences/>) (Source checked: 2026-10-21; Published: 2026-10-19)

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