ZDA signs US$122 million deal with Rongxing to lift copper cathode output in Kalulushi to 10,000 tonnes a year

The Zambia Development Agency (ZDA) has signed an Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) worth US$122 million with Rongxing Investments Limited to expand copper processing in Kalulushi. The expansion will upgrade the company's existing processing facility and raise copper cathode production from 5,500 to 10,000 tonnes a year. Rongxing currently employs 506 people, and the expansion would add 194 direct jobs, bringing the workforce to 700. The company has so far committed more than US$346,000 to Zambian suppliers. ZDA Director General Albert Halwampa said the agreement supports the government's goal of reaching 3 million tonnes of national copper production, and its drive to process more minerals in Zambia instead of exporting them raw. He also urged the company to consider moving into electric vehicle batteries and electric vehicles. Yuan Rong, the chairman of Jinxun Resources, described the agreement as a sign of confidence in Zambia's future. He said upcoming investments would include hydrometallurgical processing and upstream mining exploration over the next three years. An IPPA is the agreement the ZDA signs with an investor to set out the terms and protections for a project. The reports do not give the date of the signing or a construction timetable. ## Why it matters Copper cathodes are the refined form of copper that is sold on the world market, and processing them in Kalulushi keeps more of the work, and more of the pay, inside Zambia. The 194 new jobs are modest by national standards, but they matter in a Copperbelt town where mine and plant work supports many households, and the supplier spending reaches local businesses. Whether the government's target of 3 million tonnes of copper reaches ordinary households depends on how many such jobs and local contracts follow. ## What happens next The company says it will invest in hydrometallurgical processing and upstream mining exploration over the next three years. The date for the start of