The public-private partnership between the government and First Quantum Minerals (FQM) is helping the Disaster Management and Mitigation Unit (DMMU) to import relief maize into the country to address food insecurity following the drought of 2023/2024.
First Quantum Minerals (FQM) has agreed to partner with the government to use the returning copper anode export trucks to bring maize that the DMMU is importing from Tanzania.
The transport is being provided by FQM at a cost of USD500, 000 and marks the start of the DMMU’s plan to shore-up maize stocks in the country. Delivery of the maize will be to maize storage depots in Kapiri Mposhi and the Copperbelt to cushion the grain shortfall in Zambia as a result of last season’s drought.
FQM has also been at the forefront of mining sector initiatives to help manage the challenges of the power deficit, collaborating with ZESCO by importing power into the country. The company also continues to provide clean potable water from deep boreholes in the communities surrounding its Kansanshi and Trident operations in Solwezi and Kalumbila.
“For a company that has been operating in Zambia for over 28 years, the declaration of the 2023/2024 drought as a national disaster and emergency by President Hakainde Hichilema on February 29, 2024, was a call for action. In response, First Quantum mobilised a dedicated team to collaborate with the government on addressing food, energy, and water security during this emergency.
“As an important contributor to the national economy, FQM’s operations and growth are inextricably linked to Zambia’s prosperity – hence our commitment to ensuring our nation successfully navigates this difficult time, What’ is good to Zambia is good for FQM,” said Anthony Mukutuma, FQM Director – Zambia.
FQM’s growth strategy reaffirms the company’s commitment to Zambia and further endorses its confidence in the country as a place to invest, most notably though increased investment in exploration in Zambia, its S3 and smelter expansion projects at Kansanshi, and the recent commercial production at its Enterpirse nickel mine in Kalumbila.