Kazakhstan has begun building a $1.8 billion smelter designed to produce 300,000 tonnes of refined copper a year from 2030.

Africa's largest copper smelter produced a record 118,638 tonnes of high-strength sulphuric acid in Q3; average realized contract prices approx. $900 per tonne

President Hakainde Hichilema has a renewed mandate to pursue his goal of increasing copper production to 3mn tonnes a year after stabilising inflation and restructuring much of Zambia’s external debt.

By Newz.Africa Africa Desk | Lusaka, Zambia | Published: 30 January 2026 | Zambia copper production 2025 Zambia’s mining sector recorded strong growth in 2025. Copper production rose 8 percent to 890,346 metric tons. This is according to new data from the Ministry of Mines. This marks the second consecutive year of recovery for the country’s copper industry after a prolonged period of declining output.

Freeport-McMoRan Inc., a leading copper producer, announced a significant downward revision to its production forecast for the Grasberg mine in Indonesia, overshadowing otherwise strong first-quarter results. The slower-than-expected ramp-up at the mine led to shares dropping sharply, over 8% in pre-market trading on April 23, 2026. This Grasberg mine, one of the world's largest copper and gold deposits, has faced ongoing challenges that delayed full operational recovery. Despite robust Q1 performance driven by high copper prices and solid output from other sites, investors reacted negatively to the tempered outlook for Grasberg, which is critical to the company's overall production targets. The announcement came amid a volatile market environment for commodities, where copper demand remains strong due to electrification trends and supply constraints globally. Freeport emphasized that while other operations like Bagdad and Morenci in the U.S. performed well, the Indonesian asset's delays will impact annual guidance. Analysts note that this follows prior disruptions at Grasberg, including a fatal accident in 2025 that halted production for months. The company plans a phased restart but cautioned on timelines. Shares had recovered somewhat from earlier lows but faced renewed pressure. This event highlights risks in mining operations in remote locations with complex geology and regulatory hurdles in Indonesia. Freeport reaffirmed its commitment to safety and stakeholder partnerships while navigating these setbacks. Copper futures saw minor fluctuations, but the focus remains on Freeport's ability to meet 2026 targets.

LONDON (Reuters) -Global miner Anglo American (JO:AGLJ) on Thursday reported a 13% fall in copper production in the first half of the year to 342,200 metric tons, and a 26% fall in rough diamonds, as demand remains sluggish. The London-listed miner still expects to mine 690,000-750,000 tons of copper this year, down from 773,000 in 2024. The metal is used in electrical wiring and its demand is expected to increase for electric vehicles and renewable energy infrastructure. The miner is restructuring its business to mainly focus on copper, as well as iron ore, following BHP’s failed attempt to take it over last year. It has demerged its platinum business and has agreed, though not yet completed, the sale of its nickel and coking coal assets. These businesses are now expected to be reported as discontinued operations in the company’s 2025 half-year results on July 31. Despite a production halt caused by a fire at one of the mines included in the $3.78 billion sale to Peabody Energy () in April, the miner still expects the transaction to be completed. On Thursday, it said a formal process for the sale of diamond unit De Beers is advancing, despite the current challenging market conditions. Its first-half rough diamond production dropped 26% to 7.22 million carats. Anglo had previously cut its production forecast for 2025 to a range of 20 million to 23 million carats, from 30 million to 33 million, as demand remains low and inventories high. Iron ore production increased by 2% to 31.38 million tons in the first half. Don't miss out on the next big opportunity! Stay ahead of the curve with ProPicks – 6 model portfolios fueled by AI stock picks with a stellar performance this year.. In 2024 alone, ProPicks' AI identified 2 stocks that surged over 150%, 4 additional stocks that leaped over 30%, and 3 more that climbed over 25%. That's an impressive track record. With portfolios tailored for Dow stocks, S&P stocks, Tech Stocks, and Mid Cap stocks, you can explore various wealth-building strategies. So if AAL is on your watchlist, it could be very wise to know whether or not it made the ProPicks lists.

Chamwe Kaira Koryx Copper Inc. has announced significant progress on its Haib Copper Project in southern Namibia.  Haib is a copper-molybdenum project expected to produce clean copper concentrate through conventional crushing, milling, and flotation, with potential for additional copper production through heap leaching. Koryx Copper President and CEO Heye Daun said, “We are very pleased with the substantial progress we have made with the met testwork, process flowsheet and infrastructure development aspects of the Haib copper project during the last six months. Results are highly encouraging and are being incorporated in the preliminary economic assessment (PEA) which we are preparing to publish in the third quarter of 2025.” Daun said the PEA will aim to show the technical and economic feasibility of Haib as a conventional, long-life, low-cost, large-scale open-pit mine. The project will be based on a simple milling and flotation process producing copper in clean concentrates.  Additional copper cathode production is expected from a heap-leach expansion scenario. “We have multiple world-class engineering consultants in the final stages of completing this study. We are also expediting our drill program to be able to produce an improved mineral resource and to capture additional project value through an enhanced technical study during the first half of 2026,” Daun said. The company’s metallurgical test programme has made progress since January. It focused on using and improving historical process steps, test parameters, and reagent suites previously tested by Rio Tinto, Teck, and Great Fitzroy Mines over the last 25 years. The approach proved effective. The current testwork program has focused on conventional comminution and flotation for higher-grade mineralisation.  All tests needed to support the upcoming PEA have either been completed or will be done by July. Daun said supplementary heap leach testing will be completed in 2026, but results from a successful bacterial leach programme conducted in 2020 can be used in the PEA if required. Koryx Copper is a Canadian copper development company focused on advancing the Haib Copper Project, which it owns entirely, while also working on two copper exploration licences in Zambia.  Haib is a large, advanced copper-molybdenum porphyry deposit with a long exploration and development history under several previous operators.