ZAMBIA – The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is set to establish a US$6 million Mining Technology (MedTech) hub in Zambia to increase mineral production while also improving sustainability, productivity, and safety in mining operations.
The facility will act as an innovation and collaboration hub for the mining sector. It will also offer training and capacity-building programs to encourage the adoption of new technologies and practices.
Felix Mutati, minister of science and technology, stated that constructing a MinTech cluster was consistent with the government’s aim of fostering value addition.
Mutati stated that government policy has always been to add value to Zambia’s mining production.
“We are the major producers of a variety of minerals, but specifically copper. Our policy has always been to add value to the minerals we produce. We want to use that value addition to produce EV batteries, and that requires technology and research,” he stated.
The minister stated that the government intended to use such value addition to make electronic car batteries, which required technology and research.
“Therefore, the MinTech hub will create solutions in the mining sector that will enhance productivity and help the country realize its full benefits from its rich mineral resource,” he stated.
Eziakonwa added that this was important to the growth of the mining sector in Zambia and the continent as a whole.
“Zambia was initially not on the list, but that meeting with the President changed the story because we were able to see that Zambia was ready to become part of this club because of the capacity we see in the mining sector,” she revealed.
Eziakonwa said this was also due to Zambia’s potential and the opportunity to become a Centre of Excellence for Africa and really understand how to get more value out of its mineral resources.
“We are discussing critical minerals that will power electric vehicles and decarbonize the future. That is why UNDP decided that we would promote the idea of Zambia becoming part of the team,” she stated.
UNDP Africa Director Ahunna Eziakonwa stated that the organization would collaborate with partners to encourage investment in the construction and equipment needed for the hub to take off.
“We will provide many of the technical capacities needed and bring in some equipment, and we hope the private sector, particularly those in the mining sector, will come on board because this will benefit them hugely,” she said.
Eziakonwa noted that the hub needed some infrastructure and that the UNDP was working with partners to support investing in the construction and equipment required for it to take off.
She said UNDP would provide many of the needed technical capacities and equipment and hoped that the private sector, particularly those in the mining sector, would come on board.
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