Zambia’s copper riches ought to be helping lift people out of poverty. Yet it remains one of the poorest countries on earth, while foreign companies reap the benefits instead.
Copper-rich
Zambia is one of the poorest countries on earth. Two-thirds of the population live on less than 50p a day. One in five people are living with HIV. A third of children do not attend primary school.
But it doesn’t have to be that way. Recent sky-high copper prices, fuelled by massive global demand, could transform the lives of the citizens of this copper-rich country.
Unfortunately, most Zambians are yet to experience the improvements in their living standards they expected as a result of the surge in the profits of copper mining companies.
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Undermined
SCIAF, Christian Aid and Action for Southern Africa, with the support of Zambian civil society, have just published a major report – Undermining Development? – on why Zambia fails to derive the benefits that it should from its enormous copper reserves.
The focus of the report is KCM, Zambia’s biggest copper company – majority-owned by a UK-based company, Vedanta Resources.
We have found disturbing evidence of contracts signed under pressure from international donors, environmental agreements that allow multinationals to bypass local laws, and workers who receive little reward for gruelling hours of physical labour.
What you can do
The Zambian government recently announced plans to get its people a fairer share of the copper wealth.
But action is still needed. The multinational mining companies working in Zambia must abide by the rulings for them to make any difference.
Please email Kuldip Kaura – deputy chairman of KCM and chief executive of Vedanta, its British-based parent company – asking him to ensure that KCM and Vedanta abide by the new tax regime and do not seek compensation from the Zambian government.
Send an email now.