🇿🇲 BUSINESS BRIEFING | Govt Eases Acid Export Curbs as Copperbelt Supply Flows
Zambia has begun relaxing restrictions on sulphuric acid exports to the Democratic Republic of Congo after domestic supply conditions improved, marking an important shift for the regional copper and cobalt industry following months of market tightness.
According to Trade and Industry Minister Chipoka Mulenga, government has authorised Chambishi Copper Smelter and Mopani Copper Mines to resume limited exports of sulphuric acid to the DRC, after local stocks recovered.
“We allowed them to export because local stocks have risen,” Mulenga told Reuters, adding that exports would initially remain controlled “to ensure the local market does not suffer.”
Sulphuric acid is a critical industrial chemical in the Central African Copperbelt, particularly for extracting copper and cobalt from oxide ores. The DRC, currently the world’s largest cobalt producer and second-largest copper producer, relies heavily on imports from Zambia to sustain processing operations.
Zambia, Africa’s second-largest copper producer, generates roughly 2 million metric tonnes of sulphuric acid annually, largely as a byproduct from copper smelting operations. Surplus volumes are traditionally exported to neighbouring Congo.
The export restrictions imposed in September last year, and later reinforced through a permit regime in March, came after tightening domestic supplies and global disruptions linked to tensions involving Iran, Israel, and the United States pushed up prices and disrupted chemical supply chains globally.
The restrictions had immediate regional implications.
Mining firms in the DRC reportedly reduced acid consumption and explored output cuts as imports fell sharply in the first quarter, according to logistics and warehousing group Access World. The supply squeeze raised concerns across battery mineral markets already under pressure from fluctuating commodity prices and global energy transition demand.
Government’s latest move suggests confidence that local supply has stabilised despite anticipated maintenance shutdowns at major smelters later this year. Reuters previously reported that both Mopani and Chambishi are expected to undertake extended maintenance programmes, developments that had fuelled earlier concerns over prolonged shortages.
A ministry document seen by Reuters also shows that chemicals trader Alliswell Investment Limited has been cleared to export 5,000 metric tonnes of sulphuric acid, further signalling a cautious reopening of the market.
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The policy shift highlights Zambia’s balancing act between protecting domestic mining operations and preserving its strategic role in regional mineral supply chains. With copper and cobalt demand increasingly tied to electric vehicles and green energy technologies, sulphuric acid has quietly become one of the most important industrial inputs in the regional mining economy.
For now, Lusaka appears to be pursuing a controlled reopening rather than a full liberalisation. But if domestic stocks continue to improve, wider export permissions may follow, potentially easing pressure on Congo’s mining sector and stabilising chemical flows across the Copperbelt corridor.
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