Africa’s copper industry is witnessing a surge in exploration and development activities, expected to see global production grow at an average rate of 3.2% annually through 2031, with total output to increase from 2.1-million tons to 28.2-million tons a year.

These developments will be the focus of the Minerals Showcase: Copper session at the upcoming Critical Minerals Africa (CMA) summit – scheduled for November 6 to 7,  in Cape Town. This session will gather mining operators, project developers and investors to discuss the latest trends, challenges and opportunities shaping Africa’s copper sector, lending insight into how Africa’s copper reserves can be monetised and exported to regional and global markets.

CMA is the largest gathering of critical mineral stakeholders in Africa. Taking place from November 6 to 7 in Cape Town, the event positions Africa as the primary investment destination for critical minerals. This year’s edition takes place under the theme ‘Innovate, Enact, Invest in African Critical Minerals to Sustain Global Growth,’ connecting African mining projects and regulators with global investors and stakeholders to untap the full potential of the continent’s raw materials. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com.

Africa’s largest copper concentrations are found in an 800-km belt extending from the Copperbelt in Zambia to the southern Katanga Province in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), which represent the continent’s two largest producers. In Zambia, UK-based mining firm Galileo Resources recently started phase one of drilling at its Western Foreland Copper Project. The company has already made strides in the Zambian Copperbelt, with early drilling results from its Luansobe Project indicating substantial copper mineralisation.

Another UK-based mineral exploration and development company – Tertiary Minerals – uncovered promising copper anomalies at its Mupala Projectlast month, signaling potential for further exploration and development. The discovery, achieved through systematic soil sampling and analysis, highlights Zambia’s potential for new copper resources, attracting ongoing interest from international mining companies. Meanwhile, mining firm Vedanta Resources is seeking a strategic partner to reinvigorate its Zambian copper projects. The company is aiming to increase production from 16-million tons to 21-million tons at its Konkola copper mine, with plans to enhance operational efficiencies and output through new investment and technology.

In the DRC, Chinese mining company CMOC Group is set to double copper production at the Tenke Fungurume mine through a third-phase expansion effort. The expansion is part of a broader strategy to strengthen its presence in the DRC, with plans to produce 570 000 t of copper in 2024 and an estimated one-million tons by 2028. Last December, Canadian mining company Ivanhoe Mines announced a significant new copper discovery in the DRC – the Kitoko discovery – located within the Western Foreland and grading 11.64% copper at a 1% copper cut-off. The find adds to the growing list of world-class copper deposits in the DRC, further cementing the region’s reputation as a global copper powerhouse.

In addition to Africa’s well-established mining giants, Namibia is an emerging player in the southern African copper industry. Australian firms Noronex and South32 are advancing copper exploration in Namibia’s Kalahari Copperbelt through a $15-million earn-in agreement, with South32 funding exploration and production at Noronex’s Humpback-Damara Project over the next five years in exchange for a 60% stake. Noronex has reported promising early results from drilling at its Witvlei and Snowball prospects, with ongoing exploration aimed at defining a substantial copper resource.

Last November, mineral exploration and development firm Koryx Copper announced the start of drilling at the Haib Copper Project in Namibia, one of the world’s oldest and largest known copper deposits. The Haib project has an estimated 456.9-million tons of copper ore with a copper grade of 0.31%, which equals an estimated 3.12-billion pounds of copper. Though Namibia's copper production is still developing, these initiatives could position the country as a major future hub.