ZAMBIA EMERGES AS A STANDOUT PERFORMER IN UN INVESTMENT REPORT 2025
…FDI inflows into Zambia surged from just $0.1 billion in 2023 to $1.2 billion in 2024…
By Dingindaba Jonah Buyoya
Zambia has made an unexpected leap forward on the global investment stage, according to the recently released
World Investment Report 2025 by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
The country, long grappling with underwhelming foreign direct investment (FDI) figures, recorded one of the strongest turnarounds among developing economies, driven largely by renewed interest in its copper industry and budding digital infrastructure.
FDI inflows into Zambia surged from just $0.1 billion in 2023 to $1.2 billion in 2024, a twelvefold increase that positioned the country among Africa’s top gainers. The report attributes this spike to rising demand for minerals, especially copper, which remains central to green technologies such as electric vehicles and renewable energy storage.
One of the year’s most prominent deals, the $1.1 billion acquisition of a majority stake in Mopani Copper Mines by UAE-based Delta Mining, cemented Zambia’s return to global investor radars.
The investment rebound is particularly significant against the backdrop of a wider global downturn. While international project finance slumped globally and many developing countries saw flat or declining inflows, Zambia’s resource-led growth attracted investor confidence amid geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
But Zambia’s 2024 investment success wasn’t solely driven by mining. The country also made quiet but meaningful strides in the digital economy. It emerged as one of the few least developed and landlocked developing countries(LLDCs) to register positive growth in digital greenfield investment projects. Foreign investors showed growing interest in telecommunications infrastructure, data centres, and cloud services, signaling a diversification in Zambia’s investment profile beyond traditional extractives.
UNCTAD analysts singled out Zambia, along with Malawi and Rwanda, as among the only LDCs to post gains in greenfield investment, a forward-looking indicator of long-term investor sentiment. This resilience in project announcements suggests that Zambia is beginning to benefit from a more investor-friendly policy environment and strategic reforms aimed at improving ease of doing business.
However, the report also flagged headwinds. Large-scale infrastructure and renewable energy projects, key to Zambia’s long-term development, remain constrained by rising capital costs, currency volatility, and a challenging global financing environment. Still, off-grid renewable projects continued to attract concessional financing, keeping alive the country’s energy transition ambitions. This coincides with the recently launched 100MW Chisamba Solar Power Plant.
The World Investment Report 2025 paints a picture of Zambia in transition, from a country overshadowed by low investment flows to one cautiously stepping into the spotlight as a rising frontier market, particularly in minerals and digital infrastructure.
Whether this momentum can be sustained depends on the government’s ability to consolidate reforms, manage debt, and encourage a stable and transparent investment climate.
This is the kind of news people like Mr. Emmanuel Mwamba and some tribal bloggers don’t want to hear. Unfortunately for them, this is just the beginning because the country is headed for much greater things going forward. We now have leadership which knows what they are doing and the results have slowly started showing but I just hope those who habour bitterness and hate for other people won’t die of BP as such news continue coming.
Waiting for a comment from tribalist Indigo Tyrol and Defunct TuPF criminals
Vote wisely vote for HH7 in 2026
When I read a report in this age of Propaganda I usually don’t get carried by a Screaming Headline, I go into details. The report by Buyoya cites the acquisition of Mopani Copper Mines by United Arab Emirates Delta Mining on a PLEDGED investment of 1.1 Billion Dollars and GROWING INTEREST in intentions for Greenfield Investment in Telecommunications Infrastructure, Data Centers and Cloud Services.
Pledged FDI and actual FDI inflows are two different things. This is key. Outrageous Pledges are always made. The actualisation of this is far much difficult.
Mopani Copper Mines Plc was given to UAE Delta Mining without paying anything but on a PLEDGED investment of $1.5 Billion.
Has Delta Mining lived to it’s word on this investment. The answer is NO. The company has failed to do any substantial investment and is lagging in terms of Primary and Secondary development. The company continues depending on the development done by Glencore/ZCCM and will hit a zero out put if no investment is put in this critical area of mining. The contractors who were doing the Primary and Secondary development are no longer on site due to non payment of monies owed, a situation which also affects other suppliers of services and goods who even had to protest at Nkana East Cemetery 3 months ago. For KCM, it’s a sorry site. The PLEDGED $1.5 Billion is a non starter
The flag ship Investment of $1.1 Billion which is cited in the report is FAKE and a copy and paste from the graph presentation President Hakainde Hichilema gave last year.
Can any one with a sane mind out there point at any huge investment in Telecommunications, Data Centers and Cloud Services in Zambia today?
Yes there have been noise expressing interest in this and that investment in Zambia usually coming from ’17 year old white
kids’ of the like of those UK kids who pledged $2 billion in Solar power for 5000 MW by December 2025. Figures of 500MW, 1500MW, 2000MW are doing the round in Zambia and land is being given for such ‘Vietnam Con ‘ Investments . But go to some of these sites and find out what is happening there.
Hakainde’s government is one of Propaganda…It breaths and lives Propaganda..That is it’s Oxygen. And an organization like UNCTAD needs to be on the ground to really know what is happening…If it will sit in New York and use Vuvuzelas like Zambia Daily Mail, Times of Zambia and ZNBC and UPND media as information sources, it will present such hollow reports not supported by any facts.
( Not that this comment is from a person associated with the Mining Industry)
The second half of 2025 will see outrageous statistics being peddled..and more as we get to 2026.
We hear the economy expected to grow by 6% the highest in history , Yes at the back of 18 hours load shedding which has paralyzed most SMEs. Our life span has increased from 55 to 69 most likely due to cash for work.
And now we are tops in FDI because of Mopani Copper Mines Investment by Delta Mining!
Inflation will be in single digits to the lowest in History due to increased Copper out put as a result of dewatering at Luanshya Copper Mines, well Mopani Copper Mines and KCM fake Investment…a shaft at Lubambe which is expected to be operational in 2 years, and Some Kalengwa Euro mine, and Sensenseli mines for Chingola ‘ Jerabos’ .
Laughable Zambia.
Clearly you have poor understanding of how things work. Let me start with Mopani mine. ZCCM-IH bought Mopani from Glencore for $1.3 billion and only paid $1 for transactional purposes, meaning ZCCM-IH owed Glencore over $1.3 billion for the purchase of the mine. Now the agreement ZCCM-IH entered in to with Glencore was that Glencore still returned the offtaker rights for the copper preduced by Mopani. In other words, Glencore still owned the copper produced by Mopani but all the liabilities were transfered to ZCCM-IH. Surely, how can someone make such a deal? Now with Delta mining being brought in as a partner, it took over the liabilities from ZCCM-IH so clearly you don’t expect the money to paid to ZCCM-IH but instead the debt had to paid to Glencore. Secondly, it’s a fact that copper output has increased from level it was at in 2021 of about 750K tons to 840K tons by end of 2024 which is about 11% and copper is expected to be above 1M tons by end of 2025 which will be over 30% increase. And for your information, president HH did not produce these reports but they were produced by experts at UN, WB, IMF, Bloomberg and other organizations. These institutions do not rely on hearsay like you but conduct their own research with diligence to make sure they put out undisputable data, they are not like you who believe propaganda from your leaders without analyzing things critically. By the way, I have worked in the mines for decades so I have a good understanding of how things work in that sector.
I really think you have a problem. Go and see a doctor to help you. This is not normal hatred but sickness, always finding faults with anything and everything. Take it easy, your thoughts are so clouded by negativity only hiding in these basic unresearched writings