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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Main Author: Ndangwa Noyoo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Instituto Universitário de Lisboa 2022-02-01
Series:Cadernos de Estudos Africanos
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.openedition.org/cea/6393
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author Ndangwa Noyoo
author_facet Ndangwa Noyoo
author_sort Ndangwa Noyoo
collection DOAJ
description 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.
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series Cadernos de Estudos Africanos
spelling doaj-art-46a9b468770a4d7bb073b098d9a559c32025-08-20T02:32:33ZengInstituto Universitário de LisboaCadernos de Estudos Africanos1645-37942182-74002022-02-014111914410.4000/cea.6393Mobilising Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: Copper mining and path dependence in ZambiaNdangwa NoyooThis 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.https://journals.openedition.org/cea/6393developmentagencycoppermineralsminingpath dependence
spellingShingle Ndangwa Noyoo
Mobilising Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: Copper mining and path dependence in Zambia
Cadernos de Estudos Africanos
development
agency
copper
minerals
mining
path dependence
title Mobilising Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: Copper mining and path dependence in Zambia
title_full Mobilising Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: Copper mining and path dependence in Zambia
title_fullStr Mobilising Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: Copper mining and path dependence in Zambia
title_full_unstemmed Mobilising Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: Copper mining and path dependence in Zambia
title_short Mobilising Natural Resources for Sustainable Development: Copper mining and path dependence in Zambia
title_sort mobilising natural resources for sustainable development copper mining and path dependence in zambia
topic development
agency
copper
minerals
mining
path dependence
url https://journals.openedition.org/cea/6393
work_keys_str_mv AT ndangwanoyoo mobilisingnaturalresourcesforsustainabledevelopmentcopperminingandpathdependenceinzambia