9 September 2022
In the ground control room of a copper mine in Zambia’s Copperbelt Province, technicians from Zambia and China are busy remotely maneuvering the unmanned underground mining machinery.
The mine is operated by the South East Ore Body, a project undertaken by the NFC Africa Mining PLC (NFCA) in Zambia. Founded in 1998, the NFCA is a joint venture between China Nonferrous Metal Mining (Group) Co., Ltd. (CNMC), a centrally-administered state-owned enterprise (SOE), and a local Zambian company.
An investment from the Chinese side has injected a new lease of life into the mine, which was closed years ago.
With the digital transformation of mining at the heart of the company’s development plan, NFCA is making every effort to build the first digital mine in Africa by introducing smart equipment and management system. After reaching the relevant standards and production goals, it will serve as a vital boost for Zambia in accelerating the development of the country’s mining industry.
Besides NFCA, an economic and trade cooperation zone operated by CNMC has attracted dozens of enterprises to settle in, creating more than 10,000 local job opportunities.
Based on the economic and social development needs of African countries, Chinese SOEs have also provided vocational education and technical training support to address talent shortages, a perennial challenge in the development of the continent.
Chinese Embassy in South Africa