Zambia’s mining industry is booming with the production of multiple mineral raw materials, including copper, cobalt, gold, nickel, manganese, emeralds, beryllium, myriad gemstones, sulphur, zinc, coal, iron ore, steel, limestone, uranium, and other platinum-group metals. Contributing heavily to the country’s economy, mining in Zambia provides export income, royalty payments and employment.

Later this month, the renowned Mining and Technical Exhibitions (MTE) Zambia, takes place in three locations-Kalumbila, Solwezi and Kitwe. The MTE events take place throughout South Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa with one of the main aims being to nurture the mining and related industries by providing up-to-date information and to shed light on developments affecting the sector.

The three locations are key contributors to Zambia’s mining industry. Kalumbila is a copper-nickel mine in north-west Zambia, also known as Sentinel mine, and it represents one the largest copper reserves in Zambia and the world, with estimated reserves of one billion tons of ore grading 0.51% copper. Solwezi is a fast-growing town due to the booming mining industry, which has made it an international attraction for investments. Being the biggest copper mine in Africa, Kansanshi, has undergone several expansions since it began operation in 2005. The mine can produce 340 000 tonnes of copper and over 120 000oz of gold annually. Kitwe is the second-largest city in terms of size and population in Zambia. It is also one of the most commercially and industrially developed areas in the nation, alongside Ndola and Lusaka. It has a complex of mines on its north-western and western edges.

Operations Manager for MTE, Andrew Macnamara said that the past 24 months have been challenging for mining and manufacturing, but he was optimistic about the future. “Covid-19 has definitely had long-lasting effects on many industries across the globe but with Africa’s tenacity and resilience we can navigate through these uncertain times and make a full recovery. At the upcoming MTE Zambia events visitors will be able to meet suppliers that can provide products, services and solutions that improve safety protocols, reduce costs, and increase output, he said”

RS South Africa will also attend the MTE Zambia events and will showcase some of the latest products in automation & control, test & measurement, safety equipment and tools. RS is a global industrial distributor based in the UK with operations in over 32 countries with over 1.2 million customers. Erick Wessels, Africa Exports Sales Manager for RS in South Africa said that these events present an opportunity to touch base with customers and to engage with suppliers on how they can help local operations improve and grow.

RS has a dedicated Exports website for Africa, where businesses can order online and pay by credit card. Once payment is received the goods are shipped out from the UK and delivered directly to customers within 3-5 working days. RS only deals with leading OEMs and component manufacturers like FLUKE, Schneider Electric, Siemens, 3M, SMC and OMRON to name a few. This consolidation of suppliers has allowed the company to build an offering of over 700 000 products that are kept in-stock across twelve global distribution centres, making it seamless to transfer stock from one location to the next depending on what customers require. Customers in Africa now have easy access to the entire product range plus they can also check their delivery costs in real-time online at https://bit.ly/3RPcQ2T

All three MTE Zambia events are free to attend:

MTE Kalumbila: Monday, 26 September 2022 from 12:00 - 17:00

MTE Solwezi: Wednesday, 28 September 2022 from 13:00 - 17:30

MTE Kitwe: Friday,  30 September 2022 from 12:00 - 17:00

More information can be found here: http://MTEexpos.co.za/