In a move that could affect copper production and hence prices, the Zambian government has reportedly closed all three functional borders leading to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as protests by that country’s citizens over the reported ban on beverages and lime by the Congolese government.
This is certainly a move that at a minimum could delay exports from Africa’s biggest copper producer. In 2023, Zambia produced 698,000 tons of copper and is the seventh-largest copper producer in the world and the second-largest in Africa, accounting for approximately 4 percent of global copper output.
However, the Trade and Industry Minister, Chipoka Mulenga, has been quoted as saying all three borders leading to Congo had been ...
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