INTRODUCTION
Held on 5–6 June 2025 at Fatmols Lodge in Ndola, the Copperbelt Provincial Alternative Mining Indaba brought together communities, civil society, government agencies, mining companies, youth, and traditional leaders to deliberate on ethical mining, environmental justice, and inclusive development under the theme “Towards Ethical Mining: Advancing Justice, Environmental Accountability, and Sustainable Resource Governance.”
His Royal Highness Chief Lumpuma delivered a powerful keynote address, calling for mining that prioritises human dignity, land rights, and environmental protection. “Our rivers are turning into poison. Our children are playing on contaminated land. This is not development; this is destruction,” he warned, urging greater transparency and fair benefit-sharing for affected communities.
KEY SOLIDARITY MESSAGES
Mr Gerald Mutelo, Chairperson of the Organising Committee, opened the Indaba by reaffirming the need for reforms to ensure mining benefits people and the environment, not only investors. Mine Workers Union of Zambia President Joseph Chewe condemned exploitative labour practices, casualisation, and outsourcing trends that undermine workers’ rights, declaring, “It is unacceptable that in a country blessed with minerals, workers go home hungry while investors fly out with millions.”
Isabel Mukelabai, Director of Civil Society for Poverty Reduction, emphasised transparency, inclusive development, and community rights in mining operations. Bether Kabengele, Acting Country Director of ActionAid Zambia, highlighted the disproportionate impacts of mining on women and youth, calling for human rights protection and equitable distribution of mineral wealth.
PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND COMMUNITY VOICES
Across the panels, participants called for CSR to evolve into Corporate Social Investment (CSI) with legal backing to ensure sustainable community benefits. Discussions on human rights and business conduct, led by Transparency International Zambia, focused on aligning mining operations with UN Guiding Principles and establishing effective grievance mechanisms.
SARW facilitated conversations on critical minerals and energy transitions, emphasising that Zambia’s mineral wealth must drive local development rather than solely feed global green energy demands. Caritas Zambia and PWYP raised alarms over community displacement and the lack of free, prior, and informed consent in mining projects.
Environmental justice concerns were prominent, with the Kitwe District Land Alliance revealing how acid pollution from Sino Metals severely affects community health, prompting calls for stronger environmental laws and independent monitoring. In youth-focused discussions, Copperbelt University students and young professionals urged meaningful inclusion in governance, value addition, and green technologies, declaring that “Youth must be agents of transformation, not just beneficiaries.”
Caritas Zambia’s reflections on the Lobito Corridor project stressed the need for policy coherence and community inclusion to avoid extractive exploitation, while ActionAid Zambia highlighted the need to formalise artisanal and small-scale mining to ensure safety, rights, and economic inclusion, especially for women and youth.
Communities from Chambishi, Chingola, and Kalulushi raised urgent concerns about pollution, health risks, and marginalisation, demanding environmental clean-up, compensation, and formal inclusion in mining governance structures.
The Indaba concluded with calls to enforce environmental laws, legislate CSI obligations, formalise artisanal mining, mainstream gender and youth inclusion, and establish an environmental crimes court. As one participant stated, “Mining must benefit the people, not displace and impoverish them.” There was a strong consensus that annual convenings are needed to sustain progress towards ethical mining anchored in justice, environmental stewardship, and community-led development.
IN PICTURES
