Mobilising Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: Copper mining and path dependence in Zambia

This paper analyses the role of copper mining in Zambia and examines the country’s over-reliance on this mineral, which is still its main export. Despite this industry being a colonial construct, it remains mostly unaltered in contemporary times, with foreign actors largely benefitting from it at th...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Ndangwa Noyoo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Instituto Universitário de Lisboa 2022-02-01
Series:Cadernos de Estudos Africanos
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Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cea/6393
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Summary:This paper analyses the role of copper mining in Zambia and examines the country’s over-reliance on this mineral, which is still its main export. Despite this industry being a colonial construct, it remains mostly unaltered in contemporary times, with foreign actors largely benefitting from it at the expense of Zambians, especially the working class and the vulnerable. Due to path dependence, Zambia’s development prospects continue to be locked into an ‘enclave economy’ type of development. The article argues for an alternative development pathway that breaks away from the one that was initially carved out by the colonialists and calls for pre-eminent roles to be played by local actors in the copper mining sector.
ISSN:1645-3794
2182-7400