EP1: Why Isn't Zambia the World’s Copper Cable Factory?

Synopsis

Copper powers everyday life, from phone chargers and power grids to electric cars and data centres. Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo are central to the global copper supply, yet most of the value generated from that copper is captured far from where it is mined.

In this opening episode of Season Two of The Africa Hour, we introduce the concept of mineral value chains and explain why value is distributed unevenly along them. Tracing copper’s journey from the Copperbelt to global markets, the episode shows how different stages of the value chain are located in different places, and why extraction alone delivers far less economic benefit than the activities that come after it.

Drawing on voices from industry, policy, and journalism, the episode lays the groundwork for the season ahead. It explores a simple but powerful question: can Africa stop exporting opportunity and start building its future with the minerals the world depends on?

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Guests

William Clowes is a journalist for Bloomberg, based in Johannesburg, where he covers Africa’s metals and mining sector. He is currently the Africa metals and mining correspondent and previously reported from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Read William’s latest reporting for Bloomberg here.

Gilbert Makore is the Africa Regional Director at the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) International Secretariat, where he oversees the organisation’s work across 29 African countries. He joined the EITI in April 2020 and is based in Oslo, Norway. Prior to this, he was based in Nairobi, Kenya, where he worked with Oxfam as East Africa Extractives Advisor and Interim Country Director. Gilbert has also held senior roles with organisations including Pact, Publish What You Pay, and the Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association, working across extractives governance, transparency, and accountability.

Sokwani Chilembo is the Chief Executive Officer of the Zambia Chamber of Mines. A mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Birmingham, he has held senior roles across mining, manufacturing, regulation, and industry leadership in Zambia. He began his career in the copper mining sector before moving into management roles in mining services, soft commodity trading, and the FMCG sector with Zambian Breweries. Sokwani is also the former President of the Mining Industry Association of Southern Africa (association of SADC chambers of mines) and has served on the African Mining Indaba Advisory Board’s Governmental and Policy Committee.