Chambishi Copper Mine
CCM
The project is operated by Non-Ferrous China Africa (NFCA), also known as NFC Africa, a wholly owned China Nonferrous Metal Mining Group (CNMC) subsidiary. It is primarily a copper mining operation with underground mining on the main and west orebodies, and open-pit mining on the southeast orebody, but also produces gold as a minor byproduct . The Southeast Orebody Project launched in 2018 with a US$830 million investment. The Sino-Metals operation occupies 330 km² of mining licenses covering the Mwambashi and Samba areas; the Mwambashi open pit alone extracts 500,000 t of ore per year. It is noted as Africa’s first ‘digital mine’, producing ore that is fed to the concentrator for copper and cobalt concentrates. CNMC subsidiary Sino-Metals Leach Zambia handles hydrometallurgical operations, using leaching and solvent extraction to process lower-grade ores into copper cathodes.
Zambia
Copperbelt Province
2018
Annual Production
| Year | Status | Bauxite | Copper | Cobalt | Lithium | Tantalum |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | operational | - | - | - | - | - |
Mining Details
Located in Kalulushi District, Copperbelt Province, Zambia, within the Zambia–China Economic and Trade Cooperation Zone, near Chambishi town between Kitwe and Chingola. It is approximately 30 km east of Kitwe and 20 km southwest of Chingola.
Ownership
Deposit Size
45 million tonnes
2.25% Cu
The main and west ore bodies have an estimated reserve of 45 million tonnes (Mt) at 2.25% copper (Cu), whereas west ore body has an estimated reserve of 34 Mt at 2.03% Cu, with a planned mine life of 25 years. The southeast ore body contains 2.8 Mt Cu resources and 150,000 tonnes cobalt (Co), with an annual processing capacity of 3.3 Mt of ore .
Project Impacts
Labour Worker Rights
Mining accident attributed to inadequate health and safety
ongoingMeaning: The mine experienced a mining accident in 2005.
In 2005, the mine experienced a mine accident that claimed the lives of 46 local workers. The cause of the mine accident was attributed to a lack of proper health and safety regulations.
Worker health and safety challenged
ongoingMeaning: Worker health and safety challenged
In September, 2025, workers were injured. The workers filed a lawsuit against Lubambe Copper Mine Limited and its contractor Reliant Mining and Construction, citing gross negligence and breach of statutory duty after a serious underground vehicle accident in April 2024. They claimed over K2 million each in compensation, alleging the defendants failed to ensure proper safety as required under Zambia’s Mines and Minerals Development Act No. 11 of 2015.
Workers' rights abuses
ongoingMeaning: Workers' rights abuses reported.
Abuse of workers' rights has been reported, including long working hours, 12-hour shifts, compared to the eight-hour shifts outlined in Zambian law and standard in every other copper mining and processing operation in the country.
Worker victimization
ongoingMeaning: Workers participating in union actitivies reported harassment and victimization.
There have been cases of workers being victimized and harassed for participating in Mine Workers Union activities.
Health and safety violations led to injury
ongoingMeaning: Inadequate health and safety practices resulted in worker injuries and health concerns.
Human Rights Watch documented cases of worker injuries and health concerns as a result of the companies’ failure to maintain PPE or provide all appropriate equipment. Some workers suffered from acid burns as a result of management’s refusal to replace gloves, boots, and other PPE that had been torn or burned through by acid during the course of work.
Social Impacts
Inadequate community benefit
ongoingMeaning: Inadequate community benefit from mining presence, agriculture under threat.
Communities of the Chambishi, Musakashi and Lukoshi townships, which are nearest to the mine’s operations, report that their communities do not benefit adequately from the mine’s activities. Meanwhile, farmers in the area complain that the company has, on occasion, disrupted their livelihoods. Sixty-seven farmers from the Lukoshi area alleged that the company had destroyed their farms and crops.
Project Impacts
Labour Worker Rights
| Name | Meaning | Year | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mining accident attributed to inadequate health and safety | The mine experienced a mining accident in 2005. | 2025 | ongoing | In 2005, the mine experienced a mine accident that claimed the lives of 46 local workers. The cause of the mine accident was attributed to a lack of proper health and safety regulations. |
| Worker health and safety challenged | Worker health and safety challenged | 2025 | ongoing | In September, 2025, workers were injured. The workers filed a lawsuit against Lubambe Copper Mine Limited and its contractor Reliant Mining and Construction, citing gross negligence and breach of statutory duty after a serious underground vehicle accident in April 2024. They claimed over K2 million each in compensation, alleging the defendants failed to ensure proper safety as required under Zambia’s Mines and Minerals Development Act No. 11 of 2015. |
| Workers' rights abuses | Workers' rights abuses reported. | 2011 | ongoing | Abuse of workers' rights has been reported, including long working hours, 12-hour shifts, compared to the eight-hour shifts outlined in Zambian law and standard in every other copper mining and processing operation in the country. |
| Worker victimization | Workers participating in union actitivies reported harassment and victimization. | 2011 | ongoing | There have been cases of workers being victimized and harassed for participating in Mine Workers Union activities. |
| Health and safety violations led to injury | Inadequate health and safety practices resulted in worker injuries and health concerns. | 2011 | ongoing | Human Rights Watch documented cases of worker injuries and health concerns as a result of the companies’ failure to maintain PPE or provide all appropriate equipment. Some workers suffered from acid burns as a result of management’s refusal to replace gloves, boots, and other PPE that had been torn or burned through by acid during the course of work. |
Social Impacts
| Name | Meaning | Year | Status | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Inadequate community benefit | Inadequate community benefit from mining presence, agriculture under threat. | 2017 | ongoing | Communities of the Chambishi, Musakashi and Lukoshi townships, which are nearest to the mine’s operations, report that their communities do not benefit adequately from the mine’s activities. Meanwhile, farmers in the area complain that the company has, on occasion, disrupted their livelihoods. Sixty-seven farmers from the Lukoshi area alleged that the company had destroyed their farms and crops. |
Related Reports3
Mapping the Social, Environmental, and Economic Impacts of Chinese Companies in Mining Communities
Mapping the Social, Environmental, and Economic Impacts of Chinese Companies in Mining Communities in DRC, Zambia, and Zimbabwe
You’ll Be Fired if You Refuse
Over the past decade, China has rapidly increased its investment throughout Africa. But while many commentaries have examined the ambivalent relationship between China and Africa, few have systematically examined what Chinese investment means in human rights terms, particularly for Africans employed by China’s state-owned companies. By investigating the specific practices of particular Chinese employers, the conditions of a given set of workers, and the enforcement of labor laws by a particular African government, it is possible to begin to paint a picture of China’s broader role in Africa. To this end, this report examines the labor practices of Chinese state-owned companies in Zambia, a landlocked country in southern Africa, focusing on the country’s long-thriving copper mining industry and its well-established organized labor.
Approaches to supporting local and community development
Mining is the largest sector of the Zambian economy but, as has been the case elsewhere, the relationship between mining companies and their host communities has been fractious, without a clear path towards sustainability. The severe social, economic, and environmental impacts of mining have been compounded by perceived shortcomings in corporate social and environmental responsibility programming by the industry, and by fragile regulatory capacity on the part of the government. This paper examines the modalities and results of mining community development programmes in Zambia as part of the broader discussion on how large international mining companies can, and do, contribute to local and community development. It narrates the approaches adopted by five multinational mining corporates, two of which are Chinese-owned, and discusses the advantages and disadvantages of each approach.