Zambia's copper production was up about 30% on the previous year in the first quarter of 2025, reaching roughly 224,000 metric tonnes from around 173,000 metric tonnes in the first quarter of 2024, Mines Minister Paul Kabuswe said.

Kabuswe, in a statement on Wednesday, noted that higher production by two big companies, Konkola Copper Mines and Mopani Copper Mines, contributed to the increased overall output.

Zambia in January announced that copper output rose 12% in 2024, buoyed by a recovery in production at key mines as the government counts on the sector to drive economic growth.

Output reached roughly 820,670 metric tonnes, up from 732,580 tonnes the year before, said Kabuswe at the time.

Authorities said copper production rose despite electricity shortages after a devastating drought that hit hydroelectric power generation.

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Parliament told that operations to retrieve the about 36 workers would continue indefinitely.

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Zambia is Africa's second-largest copper producer after the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the government is trying to lift annual copper output to 3 million tonnes within about a decade.