President Hakainde Hichilema is expected to open the 2026 Zambia Mining and Investment Insaka (ZAMII) in Lusaka on Monday, with more than 1,500 participants due to attend the five-day gathering, including special envoys of the presidents of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Botswana.
The event runs from October 19 to 23 at the Mulungushi International Conference Centre. It will bring together Government, mining companies and development partners to explore investment opportunities and strengthen regional cooperation in the mining sector.
Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development Permanent Secretary Hapenga Kabeta said the presence of the two presidential envoys showed the Insaka’s growing standing as a platform for regional trade and investment.
Dr Kabeta made the remarks at a press briefing at the conference centre, where he was joined by Butella Investment Holdings Chief Executive Officer Happy Mbulo and the company’s Director of Sponsorship and Resource Mobilisation, Inonge Mpupuni.
The guest list extends well beyond the region. Dr Kabeta said representatives of the World Bank, the European Union and the African Development Bank would take part, alongside business people from Australia, China and the United Arab Emirates.
That mix of multilateral lenders, foreign investors and neighbouring governments reflects the twin purpose organisers have set for this year’s edition: attracting capital into Zambia’s mines while building closer mining ties with countries across the region.
This year’s Insaka is held under a theme built around regional value chains, shared prosperity and empowering communities. Dr Kabeta said discussions would concentrate on three priorities: adding value to minerals, creating jobs and strengthening mining value chains across the region.
Beyond the conference sessions, the meeting is expected to produce business deals and joint ventures. Organisers have tied those outcomes directly to the Government’s Grow Zambia Agenda.
The most prominent target under that agenda is copper. Government aims to raise annual copper output to three million metric tonnes by 2031, and Dr Kabeta said the Insaka would support that goal.
The copper ambition sits within a wider set of 2031 production targets now being turned into implementation plans. The Presidential Delivery Unit (PDU) is running Delivery Labs through October, bringing Government institutions, private sector players and development partners together to draw up roadmaps for eight priority areas of the economy, one of which is mining.
For readers catching up, the Insaka has become the mining sector’s main annual meeting point between the State, investors and industry. Its value lies in placing policymakers and those with capital in the same room, where commitments on new projects, expansions and partnerships can be negotiated directly.
The attendance of envoys from Kinshasa and Gaborone gives this year’s edition a stronger regional character. Dr Kabeta’s emphasis on regional value chains signals that Zambia wants mining cooperation with its neighbours to move beyond trade in raw ore towards shared processing and supply arrangements.
Value addition has been the recurring thread in the Government’s message on minerals. Processing more of what is mined, rather than exporting it in raw form, is presented as the route to more jobs and higher earnings from the same resources.
Development finance institutions will also be watched closely during the week. The participation of the World Bank and the African Development Bank places lenders capable of backing large infrastructure and mining-related projects at the table alongside private investors.
Job creation sits beside value addition on the Insaka’s agenda. Dr Kabeta said the meeting would focus on employment as one of its core outcomes, linking the expansion of the mining sector to opportunities for Zambians.
Community empowerment, part of this year’s theme, places mining-host communities within the discussion. The question of how those communities share in mineral wealth is expected to run through the sessions alongside the investment talks.
The President’s opening address on Monday is set to frame the week. Delegates will then spend four further days in sessions and deal-making before the Insaka closes on Friday, October 23.
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