Copper Leading the Way - Kansanshi Mining Plc

An ancient metal key to modern global growth, we take a look at one of Africa’s largest copper producers, Kansanshi Mining Plc, and speak to executive members of the company about its impact on communities, the environment, and the globe.

There are few discoveries that have been as impactful to human development as that of fire.

Fire, and the result of energy transference onto solid and liquid matter to varying effects and degrees, entirely changed the way that we - as a forward-thinking and innovative species - have moved ahead, and has spearheaded the way that we have manipulated the environment around us to our benefit and survival for thousands of years.

It has been thanks to this rudimentary energy source that we have been able to cook food, sterilise water, light settlements and warp materials to our will.

Where fire was the root of our revelation, the impact of the raw element on such materials allowed us to realise a breadth of opportunities that lay before us, and when we first mined metal ore, we saw only a greater opportunity to grow and evolve.

Indeed, copper stands as one of the oldest metals discovered to date (with its use dating back as long ago as 9000 BCE) and was one of the first metals used to make tools, implements, weapons, coins and status objects such as jewellery, followed by other metals such as tin, lead, gold, silver and hardy iron. Both copper and gold, with malleable natures combined with a shining aesthetic, helped progress the already embedded and fledgling concepts of trade and commerce that would themselves birth the first basic markets and lead forward collaborative societal growth and prosperity in later ages.

Today, the use of copper varies, yet it retains its status as a high-value metal all the same.

It is no longer beaten into sharp edges to do battle, nor widely seen as a status symbol when it comes to jewellery but is instead a key component used in a vast array of industries, tools, technologies, and necessities of the 21st-century world. Durable, malleable, and superconductive, copper is present in almost all forms of battery across the globe, which in turn makes it a critical resource to machinery, vehicles, and electric motors worldwide.

The metal helps power machinery used in industries at the centre of urban growth, such as that of building construction, electronic product manufacturing, and power generation and transmission, with the root of this growth coming from the mining of copper deposits internationally.

These mining reserves exist as the start of a process that ensures people all over the planet have access to travel, technology, and the digital realm to keep the world moving at a swift and continuous pace.

MINING IN AFRICA

The construction industry exemplifies exactly why copper is a high-value and chosen material for use. Copper’s bacteriostatic properties make it the standard material for potable water and heating systems in most developed countries. Copper is considered the safe choice in plumbing, heating systems, taps, valves, roofing, heating and air conditioning systems as it is resistant to oxidation, extreme heat corrosion and chemical corrosion, will not burn, melt or release toxic fumes unlike other metallic options.

Copper is also a sustainable material; its recycling rate is higher than that of any other metal in the world. Each year, nearly as much copper is recovered from recycled material as is derived from newly mined ore; around 80 percent of the copper that has ever been mined is still in use today.

As for gold, in addition to its use in jewellery, the precious metal plays an important role in modern health applications and research, and is used in medicines, lasers, thermometers and genetic research. Gold is the most ductile metal in existence and is a good conductor of heat and electricity, present in computers, and also used when it comes to telecommunications, digital technology and space exploration.?

Africa is home to substantial metal and mineral deposits, most notably gold, diamonds, iron ore and gypsum, and two of the globe’s top 10 copper-producing countries are in Africa, with production mostly concentrated across four countries: the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Namibia, South Africa and Zambia.

The Copperbelt, a natural region in Central Africa that borders northern Zambia and southern DRC, is widely known for its mining operations, and Zambia’s own Copperbelt Province sits in this region. Within this province, operations in the Kansanshi copper-gold deposit exist with a long history stretching back for over 1,500 years to the indigenous people who mined high-grade copper from its rich veins.??

The Kansanshi copper-gold deposit is based near Solwezi, around 160 kilometres (km) west of the copper-cobalt reserves of the Zambia Copperbelt and remains today an active area live with open-pit sites.

THE COPPER GIANT??

Operating the country’s copper deposits via the site is the globally reputed Kansanshi Mining Plc (Kansanshi), a copper and gold mining company under the banner of the international conglomerate First Quantum Minerals Limited (First Quantum).

First Quantum is a global copper company that produces copper in the form of concentrate, cathode and anode, and boasts inventories of nickel, gold and cobalt as well. First Quantum operates long life mines in several countries and employs approximately 20,000 people world-wide. The Kansanshi copper-gold mine was the company’s flagship operation since 2005 for a number of years until FQM Trident’ Sentinel Mine and Conbre Panama came into production.

From its two open pits, the Kansanshi copper-gold reserve produces more copper than any other mine in Africa. Since production at Kansanshi commenced in 2005, the company has installed several expansions, and the operation is now capable of producing 340,000 tonnes of copper and more than 120,000 ounces of gold per year.?

KANSANSHI MINING

Kansanshi employs more than 13,000 people, primarily made up of a localised Zambian workforce, and utilises state-of-the-art technology to extract copper and gold from three different ore types, with world-class efficiency. The Kansanshi mine is owned and operated by Kansanshi Mining, which is 80 percent owned by First Quantum.

“The Kansanshi deposit is the site of one of the oldest copper mines in the whole of Zambia and dates back to the fourth century A.D,” introduces Anthony Mukutuma, General Manager of Kansanshi. “It has been mined intermittently since that time by various parties including ZCCM Investment Holdings (ZCCM - formerly Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited) which, in 1969, approved the development of an open pit mine to treat high grade oxide ore.”

In 1998, ZCCM formally ceased operations at the Kansanshi deposit and initiated closure and reclamation activities. Subsequently, Cyprus Amax Minerals Corporation (Cyprus Amax) acquired a majority of the ownership of surface leases and selected assets associated with the area from ZCCM and the Government of the Republic of Zambia (GRZ).??

After completion of metallurgical test work and a feasibility study to determine the potential for a 124,000 tonne per annum copper production site, Cyprus Amax was acquired by Phelps Dodge Corporation in 1999.

“First Quantum Minerals purchased its 80 percent interest in Kansanshi from Cyprus Amax in August of 2001 and went on to redesign the process flowsheet to treat sulphide and oxide ores separately,” Mukutuma explains. “Commercial production at Kansanshi was achieved in April of 2005, and four years later, a plant to treat transitional (mixed) ore was designed and commissioned.

“Today, the Kansanshi operation includes three concentrators producing copper concentrate and gold dore (from gravity concentrators in the milling circuit and the associated gold plant) and a leach-SX-EW circuit that produces Grade A copper cathode. The concentrates are treated at the Kansanshi Smelter (commissioned in 2013), to create copper anodes and at the high-pressure leach plant to produce copper cathode.”

MINING AND PROCESSING

Kansanshi is a vein deposit, with economic copper and gold mineralisation occurring in three ore-types: primary sulphide, mixed supergene and oxide.

Mining is carried out in two open pits, Main and Northwest, using conventional open pit methods employing hydraulic excavators and a fleet of haul trucks with electric trolley assist on the waste haul. Ore treatment is flexible to allow for variation in ore type either through an oxide leach circuit, a sulphide flotation circuit and or a transitional ore (mixed ore) circuit.

Sulphide ore is treated via crushing, milling and flotation to produce copper in concentrate. Mixed ore is treated through a similar circuit with the option to treat the flotation concentrate via the high-pressure leach (HPL) circuit.

Oxide ore is treated via crushing, milling, flotation, leaching and the SX/EW process to produce a sulphidic and gold bearing flotation concentrate as well as electro-won cathode copper.

Gold is recovered from all ore types by six gravity concentrators. Gemini tables treat the gravity concentrates and produce a high-grade concentrate for direct smelting to gold bullion.

A portion of the copper concentrate produced from the sulphide and mixed ore circuits is treated in a HPL facility. Copper is recovered by oxidation and leaching in autoclaves, and gold is recovered from HPL residues via an acid-resistant gravity concentrator.?

LEADING THE WAY

Today, Kansanshi operates in Zambia as Africa’s largest copper provider in the region’s mining industry. It is the company’s forward-thinking and people-centric mentality that stands it apart from others in the sector, leading through a mixture of expertise and perseverance.??

“Kansanshi’s differentiation is a result of First Quantum’s ethos evident in the company’s history over the last 25 years,” Mukutuma says. “First Quantum’s people are well-known for a ‘can do’ attitude and specialist technical, engineering, construction and operational skills, which allow us to develop and successfully run complex mines and minerals processing plants.

“As a company and as individuals, we strive to go beyond the goals set by other companies. After 25 years of operations, we are now one of the world’s top 10 copper producers, operating in multiple countries. We are focused on providing a tangible benefit from everything we do for investors, employees and the many communities that host our operations.”

ZAMBIAN MINING???

The mining industry itself is vast in Zambia. The country has access to a multitude of rich metals and minerals that are key to the production of modern necessities and core to the continued growth of infrastructure all across the world.

“The mining industry in Zambia and the wider African continent has supported economies and wrought development, and continues to do so to this day,” Mukutuma elaborates. “However, the industry also continues to largely divide opinion - in my view - due to the huge expectations that large scale investments inherent in mining come with.

“For example, the expectations of localised host communities when it comes to job provision and business opportunities tends to be huge. Given this setting, mining operations have to engage a diverse and dynamic stakeholder base and find win-win situations in order to be successful and sustainable.

“This combination of geology, the many disciplines of engineering, finance and a diverse and dynamic stakeholder base makes for an exciting space indeed - challenging for sure, but very exciting!”

However, the last two years have had their impact on the Zambian mining industry and Kansanshi itself.

“The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted life around the world, with a number of lives lost, and people’s livelihoods altered in profound ways, with many people losing their source of income or having their earnings reduced drastically as a result of the pandemic,” Mukutuma informs us. “I always state that the most significant impact has been on children’ education. Growing up in locked-down communities for the children of this generation will inevitably have long-term impacts.

“As a business, we were determined to keep operating through the pandemic. We achieved this by instigating protocols in the workplace to mitigate COVID-19 transmission (using the five golden rules) and investing in state-of-the-art COVID-19 testing, contact tracing and medical facilities, and working with the Zambian Ministry of Health to make vaccines available to the workforce and their families.”?

Kansanshi continued operating throughout the pandemic and is currently taking the lead in driving vaccination campaigns at the mine site and within the local community.

INNATE INTEREST

For Mukutuma, this dedication towards employees and the community at large is an invaluable part of Kansanshi as a business.

The COVID-19 period has pushed forward the necessity of digital communication and connection on top of other aspects of life, and also represents the ever-changing nature of the mining industry that Mukutuma has been intrigued with since his youth.

“I grew up in Kabwe (Zambia), a major mining town at the time. I was intrigued by how the miners got dirt out of the ground and processed it into valuable products such as zinc and lead, in the case of Kabwe Mine, or copper and cobalt for the mines on the Copperbelt,” he says. “I liked the physical side of mining. After all, underground mining to a child sounds like an adventure, and I was engaged by the science and the business side of things too.

“Even as a 10-year-old child, it was clear that mining as a business was the anchor of the economy of Kabwe and I was keen to be part of this important industry. I wanted to get into an industry that was considered key to the country.”

This led Mukutuma to study the sciences in secondary and high school, and thereafter leading to studying Chemical Engineering with Minerals Engineering at the University of Birmingham (UK).

“This launched my career in mining – first with the Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited on a number of operations, Konkola Copper Mines Plc, Anglo American Corporation and then First Quantum Minerals at their Bwana Mkubwa Operations in Ndola,” he adds. “With First Quantum, I have taken on a number of roles in Zambia, Mauritania, Finland and Australia, and now I’m back in Zambia again, here at Kansanshi - full circle.”?

INVESTMENTS AND AUTOMATION

Mukutuma has had the privilege of watching Kansanshi grow and develop its operations both internally and externally.

Over the course of his tenure, Kansanshi has undergone multiple investments – additional capacity, new product initiative, quality improvement and/or cost reduction/efficiency improvements.

“Kansanshi is currently mining from the Main and Nortwest Pits, and will develop the Southeast Dome Pit next,” Mukutuma says. “One investment of note in the recent past is the Kansanshi Copper Smelter, commissioning for which commenced in the third quarter of 2014.

“The smelter ramped up quickly, achieving commercial production in 2015, and it has a nominal capacity of 1.2 million tonnes per annum of concentrate to produce over 300,000 tonnes of copper metal annually and more than one million tonnes per annum (Mtpa) of sulphuric acid as a by-product. The main processing steps are smelting, converting, fire refining and casting. We are looking to expand the smelter to 1.6 Mtpa and take the high-pressure Leach Plant’s treatment rate up by 40 to 60 percent. This will ensure that Kansanshi has capacity to treat additional concentrate arising from the planned concentrator expansion.”

Kansanshi is also looking into increasing its fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) - in this case electric mining haul trucks that will operate in and around the pits - as well as investing in renewable energy in the form of solar and wind power.

Among these core investments is that of automation, a key part of Kansanshi’s business plan moving forwards.

“The level of automation in our operation in mining and the process plants (concentrators, hydrometallurgical plants and the smelter) is significant,” Mukutuma explains. “From the use of high precision mining in mining operations to expert control system in process unit operations, the use of automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) is pervasive throughout the business.

“It is of critical importance that we keep abreast with developments in technology and continue to be innovative to streamline and better our operations for our shareholders, customers, employees and the environment.”

The automation of Kansanshi’s operations has resulted in reduced environmental footprint. The use of energy efficient in-pit trolley-assist technology has resulted in 100,000 tonnes of CO2e saved annually, and approximately one-million tonnes of CO2e is saved annually through the operation of the Kansanshi smelter.

PEOPLE-CENTRIC SINCE 1996

During 2022, Kansanshi’s main objectives are to push its current operations to 29 Mtpa to compensate for dropping sulphide ore grades and diminishing oxide and mixed resources as the open pit deepens, and continuing discussions with key stakeholders to pave the way for an expansion to the current operation, to double annual mined volumes and process throughput.

“First Quantum has invested in the development of skills and its people from its inception in 1996,” Mukutuma continues. “For the said growth to be sustained, it must be underpinned by employees and the right leadership; people that understand the First Quantum values of ‘Bolder, Smarter, Driven and Together’.

“First Quantum runs trades and apprentice training programmes, local and international graduate programmes, various specialist and professional development programmes for employees and a CEO Programme, the latter of which is a leadership development programme with First Quantum’s CEO being the principal mentor.

“A decision was made during 2020 to create a programme to develop ‘ready now’ leaders using the CEO Programme model with the principal mentor being the General Manager.

“The programme is called the General Manager Programme (GMP). The first cohort of GMP’s have just completed the 12-month programme with excellent results; six ‘ready now’ leaders from the Human Resources, ICT, mechanical, process engineering, and metallurgy disciplines. The next cohort will start in April 2022.”

SAFETY FIRST

This dedication to training and developing its employees and management is a key part of Kansanshi’s overall business practice, to ensure the best for both the company and the people involved. This is due to First Quantum’s overarching safety-centric values that echo throughout its companies and their divisions.

First Quantum’s THINK! Safety programme is a practical, sensible approach to risk management, all framed within the company’s Health and Safety Management System, which conforms to ISO 45001 standard.

“It features sensible rules without excessive red tape,” explains Teza Kasengele, Safety Manager at Kansanshi. “We avoid unnecessary bureaucracy, and we vigorously defend against the false sense of security that comes from having blanket rules and indiscriminate procedures. Whilst we insist on key safety rules in specific environments, we find that overall safety improves when we teach workers to assess their environment, identify hazards, take action using their own critical judgement and support their colleagues in the same way.

“The THINK! Safety programme started at Kansanshi as an off-shoot of crew resource management (CRM) – the famously successful aviation industry safety programme that has been adopted and adapted for use in many different industrial sectors, including healthcare, firefighting and shipping handling. CRM training focuses on non-technical skills (teamwork, decision making, and communication) to improve situational awareness and problem-solving, which all help to better safety performance. In our early trials, we found CRM helpful but lacked a mining-specific focus. So, we have developed our own, First Quantum Safety Programme.”

The THINK! Safety programme is incorporated into the company’s Health and Safety Management System and has been implemented at all of its sites. First Quantum has embedded the Health and Safety Management System through the formal training of employees and contractors, practical on-the-job training with on-the-job follow-ups and extensive workplace communications and employee engagement.?

“We want everyone who works at our sites to go home safely to their families at the end of every shift,” Kasengele says. “We also want them to stay safe at home. The next step for THINK! Safety is to roll out the concept to the communities located near our operations to improve safety and reduce accidents in homes, farms, businesses and schools.”?

THE FOUR PILLARS

Kansanshi’s four Safety Pillars embody the company’s ethos and drive towards ensuring the highest level of personal safety for each of its employees and associated workers.

Pillar One - Prepare

Kansanshi’s health and safety policy is aimed at preparing employees and business partners to uphold their occupational health as well as remaining safe both at work and elsewhere. Employees and business partners are also prepared to keep the environment and equipment safe in their execution of duties. At Kansanshi, this preparation to work safely is mainly achieved in four separate ways.

“The first is through training,” Kasengele elaborates. “Both employees and business partners operating on site undergo various stages of training, depending on their roles, to ensure that they are competent to work safely before they can be allowed to work at Kansanshi.

“This is followed by understanding the work processes. Standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been developed for critical tasks based on their hazard potentials and how such hazards can be prevented, dealt with or how their impacts can be minimised by following outlined steps in the execution of such tasks or work processes.”

The third of these ways is hazard identification. All personnel on the mine, regardless of their roles or work location, are encouraged to identify and report hazards so that they can be eliminated before they result in any harm. Examples of methods used to identify workplace or potential hazards are Visible Felt Leaderships (VFLs), Near-miss Incidents, Safety Inspections and Hazard logbooks.

Lastly, internal and external Health and Safety Management System audits are a regular feature of important annual activities at Kansanshi.

Pillar Two - Prevent

Once personnel have been prepared to work safely, preventative measures are used to prohibit the identified hazards from resulting in or causing harm. Preventative measures are aimed at eliminating known or anticipated hazards from coming into contact with personnel, the environment or equipment. Signage, waste and hazardous material management are some of the principal methods used in the prevention pillar. In addition, risk assessments, which are aimed at identifying preventative methods to address hazards specific to the task at hand, are conducted on all critical tasks before such jobs can be allowed to commence or proceed.

Pillar Three - Protect

Like most mining environments in the world, Kansanshi employees and business partners have to deal with various hazards in their different lines of duty, as is the nature of the mining industry.

“Having identified these hazards in the first pillar, procedures and policies have been formulated to protect personnel who work directly with such hazards (which cannot be avoided or prevented),” Kasengele tells us. “Some of the most common protective measures are appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE), machine guard installations, work rotations to limit exposure and ergonomic studies and guidelines.”

Pillar Four - Respond

Kansanshi has implemented various methods and channels to respond to health, environmental and safety incidents which may occur on-site or involve Kansanshi employees and business partners. Foremost of these methods is the establishment of a well-equipped hospital (such as Kansanshi Mine Hospital) to which all employees and their families have access, including Kansanshi’s contractors. In addition, a well-equipped emergency response team has been set up to respond to all incidents involving personnel, the environment and equipment.

Incidents are also managed through rigorous incident investigations which are aimed at developing or enhancing the preparatory, preventative and protective pillars.

BEHIND KANSANSHI???

Kansanshi prides itself on having a diverse and multicultural employee base with various backgrounds and stemming from a variety of nationalities. Following the company’s core values of being Bolder, Smarter, Driven and Together, Kansanshi’s staff members understand that they are part of a greater whole that is integral to the company’s culture and empowering for every individual associated.

“Our people are our greatest asset, and because of this, we make sure that we encourage them to do and be the best they can, while supporting them across the business,” Kasengele tells us proudly. “Safety comes before all else. We make sure that our employees are empowered to act and work safely through a mixture of educative guidance and materials, reinforced by our company slogan: ‘no job is so important that it cannot be done safely’.?

“In line with this, we have 12 ‘Think Fatal’ dangers that highlight hazards found in the workplace, and we make sure that staff know that if a situation is not safe to work, no one should work until it is restored.”

On top of this critical element of daily operation, Kansanshi helps motivate its workforce with a sense of collective achievement through teamwork.

“At Kansanshi, we set our employees clear goals and targets early in the year in line with corporate, company and departmental targets which helps everyone maintain a vision and sense of drive in their work,” McGerald Mvula, Supply Chain Manager at Kansanshi continues. “And in recognition of hard work, our many leadership programmes remind our staff that they can achieve anything that they set out to.

“Both leadership and mentorship programmes are available to all employees. For now, we host four levels of leadership programmes: internal graduate, local graduate, general manager leadership programmes, and business improvement programmes. Each of these is designed to promote the skills of individuals and provide Kansanshi with top-class business leaders. As for mentorship, we have management and superintendents mentoring and coaching young high-potential employees to help them gain the necessary skills and experience to grow into fine business leaders of tomorrow.”

Amid the focus on safety and progression, Kansanshi ensures that its employees feel valued and rewarded for their efforts. Various forms of incentive schemes and programmes are in place to reward outstanding performance.

“The Kansanshi deposit is the site of one of the oldest copper mines in the whole of Zambia and dates back to the fourth century A.D”

Anthony Mukutuma, General Manager, Kansanshi Mining Plc

A HISTORY IN THE COPPERBELT??

Mvula has been associated, and indeed part of, the copper mining space for a long time, with the industry having existed as a part of his childhood, and standing as a defining factor to influence his future career.?

“I grew up on the Copperbelt and supported a mine sponsored team, Nkana football club,” he tells us. “My father, a miner, would bring me a seasonal ticket to watch our favourite sport - football. Everything revolved around mining during my childhood. I graduated in electrical engineering and worked in the copper electro-winning processes and the smelter in 2000. I was eager for growth, and it occurred to me that a commercial path could be the best way to combine my technical and business skills.”?

From electrical engineering, Mvula moved into a materials engineer role that launched his transition into a commercial role.??

“I have worked mostly in mining with brief stints in cement and electrical utilities,” he continues. “The impact of having technical acumen combined with business made me a highly attractive talent and I grew very quickly in the ranks to the Supply Chain Manager position.

“My role mainly includes creating an interface between the business and the external stakeholders (suppliers, manufacturers, regulators etc). It also involves interpreting the end-user requirements into scopes and inquiries that are sent to the suppliers for goods and services the business requires. This role interfaces with the various other requirements of the business in meeting our objectives of safety, quality, environment, production, corporate social responsibility (CSR), cost and value management in relation to our dealings with external stakeholders.”

Throughout his time with Kansanshi, Mvula has recognised that people form the bedrock of success for the business, and that each of them are critical to the future of the company.

DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY

For companies around the globe, especially those within heavy industries such as mining, the topic of sustainability has never been so prominent and important to address.

New technologies that promote efficient and clean activities have taken the limelight not only from an ethical standpoint but also operationally, proving their worth as green and effective tools and methods to incorporate into business. In this new age of development, it is the beginning of an adaptive journey for heavy industry companies to recognise the necessity of change and accommodate it.

For Kansanshi, not only is it important to address such a change, but the company also realises its critical role in helping this international change taking place.

“When you take an overall look at the mining industry in Zambia, it is a very exciting space to work in, especially the copper sector,” reflects Arnold Malambo, Environmental Manager at Kansanshi. “There is a current global push for decarbonisation and the mining industry is poised to be the major contributor to realising that vison. The negative effects of fossil fuels drive the need to evolve and change the energy mix. Also, the economic drive for value addition in Zambia brings our extractive industry to the centre of the discourse for economic growth and development.

“Copper is critical in the global drive towards energy change, and we are at the heart of African copper mining.”?

CONTINUING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT??

Internally, Kansanshi is undergoing changes to best promote environmental practices both directly and indirectly.

Kansanshi is implementing an environmental management system (EMS) which is aligned with the ISO14001:2015 standard and subject to external compliance audits to keep them in check.

Key aspects of the company’s environmental programme include maintaining compliance with host country laws and regulations, and Kansanshi’s own environmental policy and international guidelines and standards, and sound baseline environmental and social risk assessments and mitigation strategies, among many others.?

For Kansanshi, the continuation of sustainable development is a definite element of the company’s future.

“The business will continue with the current interventions, and expand the support where necessary, but remain open to other innovative ideas that would be adopted in the course of the current year,” affirms Malambo.

“Copper is the kingpin in the global drive towards energy change, and we are at the heart of African copper mining”

Arnold Malambo, Environmental Manager, Kansanshi Mining Plc

A RESPONSIBILITY BEYOND BUSINESS?

For such a global company operating within the mining space, CSR becomes an integral part of helping the people, community and environment that Kansanshi is associated with.

Not only does mining involve a considerable number of operatives and skilled personnel, but it also revolves around the process of breaking open the earth in order to retrieve and filter valuable minerals and metals. This naturally can cause a detrimental impact on the surrounding natural world if not handled properly or carefully, and therefore, mine operators have an important duty to uphold environmental values alongside their operations.

Equally, the welfare, safety and involvement of people (especially those local to the region in question) must continue to be a core focus of such companies, who must strive to integrate the business into the associated communities to further the betterment of host communities.

“The mining industry is more involved than ever in diverse service provision and social investments that span a wide spectrum: health, education, agriculture, livelihoods, gender, infrastructure and many more. This makes working in the space only more exciting,” Victor Nsana, CSR Superintendent at Kansanshi, tells us. “Through working alongside institutions in these various areas, we give back to the people and environment, while integrating our operations with the wider community.

“Everything from hiring and training skilled local staff to educating the community on safety and environmental practices helps bolster a better mining industry in Zambia.”

Within this bracket also falls the many suppliers and partners that Kansanshi works with to achieve its business and operational success.

“In an industry such as mining, with a diverse, growing and dynamic growing base of stakeholders, relationships are important,” Nsana explains. “The relationships allow for a clear understanding of stakeholder aspirations, concerns and objectives, and these can be addressed for the mutual benefit of all parties.

“Incorporating our suppliers into our CSR activities allows our entire business chain to get involved with ensuring the best safety standards, employee and community welfare, and sustainable practices company-wide.”

A PATH TO MINING

Nsana didn’t begin his career in the mining space. After working in the textile industry, he studied environmental health and became involved with community work, especially regarding raising awareness around community health and hygiene, immunisations and public health interventions. This was Nsana’s first experience of serving communities to help better the welfare and lives of the people therein.

“I later resigned and joined World Vision Zambia where I worked as a Development Facilitator. During my time there, I studied Development Practice at the University of South Africa (UNISA),” he tells us. “I was keenly interested in the community liaison work which the mining industry had started doing around communities in the Solwezi district. My interest grew to the point that I applied for a job and was hired as Assistant Community Liaison Officer. I rose through the ranks to the position of Senior Supervisor in the CSR Department.?

“I am currently involved in supervisory functions and directly engaging with stakeholders, including governments, civil society organisations (CSOs), non-governmental organisations (NGOs), faith-based organisations and community leadership. I have been in the industry for close to 14 years now. I love my job and it is both exciting and fulfilling for me to work here at Kansanshi.”

“Our people are our greatest asset, and because of this, we make sure that we encourage them to do and be the best they can, while supporting them across the business” - Teza Kasengele, Safety Manager, Kansanshi Mining Plc

OVERSEEING OPERATIONS

Kansanshi recognises the importance of such an element of business and aims to incorporate its activities into multiple facets of surrounding society to bolster the betterment of the business and those people associated.

“Our goal is to integrate sound environmental, safety and social management practices into all aspects of our business,” says Nsana. “The board has a dedicated Environment, Health Safety and CSR Committee which reviews adherence by First Quantum to its environment, health and safety policies and practices in accordance with applicable environmental, health and safety laws and regulations. The committee also oversees First Quantum’s CSR strategy and extensive programmes, including its approach to human rights and engagement with host communities. The committee considers and recommends best practices in key areas covered by its charter.

“We are committed to continuous improvement through our environmental, safety and social management systems, which are subject to regular external audits. Each of our sites has a community social and economic development plan which is aligned with the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. We seek to ensure that the positive economic impacts of mining are realised and to assist in improving the quality of life for those people and communities impacted by our activities.”

MARKING ACHIEVEMENT??

The core company values revolving around both people and planet have helped Kansanshi become recognised as an operational leader in the mining industry under First Quantum. Because of this, the company has gained a multitude of awards and accolades that represent its position in the sector, and the progressive nature of its operation and drive moving forward into the future.

“Over the years, Kansanshi has received recognition of its efforts in corporate social investments and has received awards in various areas,” Nsana says. “These span everything from environmental promotion to community engagement and internal company programmes.

“A prime example of this is our Conservation Farming – Support to Community award, given to us by CSR Network Zambia, that stemmed from our Conservation Farming unit, one that supports community farmers while doing good for the environment. The unit is already implementing a plan to diversify from the usual crop farming to incorporate fruit tree orchards in the local communities. This is going to target the export and local markets to help individual farmers reach a wider market.”

Other awards include the Excellency in Environmental Stewardship – Game Management, Community Programmes – Water, Provision of Literacy Education – Infrastructure/Innovative Learning, Community Social Impact Award – Working with the Differently-Abled, Excellency in Literacy Support – Adult Literacy Support, and the Community Social Impact Award – Youth Development, each awarded by CSR Network Zambia.

“And in recognition of hard work, our many leadership programmes remind our staff that they can achieve anything that they set out to” - McGerald Mvula, Supply Chain Manager, Kansanshi Mining Plc

BEYOND THE MINE

First Quantum (and by default, Kansanshi) recognises that people and communities are affected by the company’s business activities, and that it has a responsibility to ensure that those people and communities benefit through opportunities such as employment, business development, education, training or community investment over the long term.

“We also recognise that our activities consume resources and have impacts on the broader global environment, and that we have a responsibility to minimise and redress harmful impacts and to optimise positive benefits,” Nsana tells us. “We build sound safety, environmental, and social management practices into all aspects of our business. We strive for continuous improvement in our environmental, safety and social management performance.

“Our sustainable development strategy is built around four key pillars: economically viable investments, technically appropriate operations, environmentally sound practices, and socially responsible actions.”

Kansanshi aims to deliver this strategy by implementing sound corporate governance practices as well as environmental management systems (in line with an equivalent to ISO 14001:2015 standard) and health and safety management systems (based on an equivalent to the OHSAS/BSI 18001:2015 standard), improving community relations through better communications, and supporting sustainable community development programmes.

ADAPTATION IN THE INDUSTRY??

However, this kind of collaborative community achievement has not been undertaken without its own challenges. For Kansanshi, the past two years have not only caused global obstacles and varying customer demand, but also prevented people-centric activities.

“Owing to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a lot of opportunities to have face-to-face interactions with stakeholders have been disrupted,” continues Nsana. “Travel to project locations for monitoring activities and support has also been affected. This has interfered with developing and maintaining meaningful and effective relationships with business partners and other stakeholders.”?

The COVID-19 pandemic has only reiterated how important the link between Kansanshi, its partners and its wider community is to the overall success and positive external influence of the business.

However, the pandemic has also helped push forward development in many spheres of the working world. For both businesses and employees, the past two years have prioritised digital communication and working, highlighted the importance of digital infrastructure, and driven everybody to become increasingly technologically adept.

“Doing community programmes in the face of COVID-19 has not been easy. There has been reduced face-to-face contact with stakeholders which is a key requisite to enhance relations between them and the mine,” Nsana elaborates. “However, some smart innovations have been put in place to ensure that programmes and services continue. The business training for micro, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), school lessons and other interactions had to be shifted onto local radio stations. These included our School on Radio Programme and our Small Business on Radio programme. These interventions proved to reach far more people than we anticipated, and we will continue with this after the pandemic.

“We have also found ways of using virtual meetings on various platforms, such as Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams and more, to work with stakeholders.

“With the availability of vaccines and increasing numbers of people getting vaccinated, face-to-face meetings are becoming possible again and will complement virtual meetings and activities very well. I have no doubt this will result in more effective collaboration and productivity. In light of this, the years ahead are promising.”

KEY PARTNERSHIPS??

This adaptive tech adoption and the digital tools that come alongside it are key to maintaining relationships across the globe, particularly when it comes to the critical partnerships that keep Kansanshi moving forward.

In the realm of CSR, Kansanshi maintains multiple critical partnerships with various governing bodies, institutions and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) across Zambia and beyond to enhance the company’s positive impact on communities as well as to safeguard the environment.

“Partnerships of immediate concern to the CSR department are slightly different from the commercial partnerships that are entered into for financial reasons,” Nsana says. “The CSR department seeks partnerships based on the need to address issues of mutual concern such as improving livelihoods, providing social services and building capacity for social change.”

Grounded on this principle, Kansanshi has key partnerships in many groups across the region:

The Municipal Council

The Municipal Council partnered with the company to improve the township roads by upgrading them to bituminous standards by providing a cost-effective service to the Municipal Council. According to Nsana, a lot of progress has been achieved in this area.

The Agriculture Department??

The company’s conservation unit has trained more than 40,000 local farmers and continues to give support to 7,000 of them.

“Women and youth farmers are receiving training and technical support to improve their productivity,” Nsana tells us. “The Conservation Farming for Nutrition programme is one of the key interventions that is currently being rolled out to local women. Technical support to all conservation farming activities through field visits by extension workers (field officers) is being supported by the mining company.”

The Health Department??

The company’s Health Promotion Team is encouraging Primary Health Care Provision in communities near the mine and supporting the government health services by providing support to procurement of health care equipment and materials.

The company helped to build and equip a number of health centres to provide primary health care.

The Regional Referral Hospital was rehabilitated (including the reconstruction of a whole new modern maternity wing) and some equipment was provided. Kansanshi has continued to provide weekly medical oxygen supplies during the scourge of the COVID-19 pandemic.?

Zambia National Parks and Wildlife Authority??

Kansanshi has partnered with the authority to start a wildlife ranch which has more than 16 species of wildlife that were introduced onto the mine lease. The animals are breeding and the numbers growing to the extent that some have been donated to the government park, West Lunga Game Reserve, whose animal population was unfortunately decimated to near extinction over the years.

Zambia Road Transport Safety Agency??

In collaboration with the agency, the CSR department runs road safety messages on local radio stations and carry out campaigns to sensitise communities and schools of safe behaviour on the roads.

“We have assisted in the publication of materials to distribute in schools as a way of teaching safe and responsible behaviour to young people,” Nsana explains. “Kansanshi carries out joint activities to commemorate international and national road safety events and helps with the road makings and road furniture rehabilitation.

“The agency forms and monitors the community safety links (volunteer first responders) with whom the community safety officer undertakes emergency response simulation drills and stands ready to respond to traffic accidents or incidents that happen on the roads in the local and surrounding areas.”

NGOs and CSOs???

Kansanshi has partnered with the Young Women’s Christian Association (YWCA) to campaign against early marriages and gender-based violence.

Kansanshi supports the activities of the YWCA by providing financial and technical support. To ensure that this support is self-sustaining, Kansanshi has set up the Nsanshi Art studio that makes jewellery from copper produced at the mine, for sale locally and further afield. The proceeds from this venture are donated to the YWCA. So far, roughly $10,000 has been remitted to the YWCA’s operations account from this venture alone.

The partnership with the Extractive Industries Transparency Alliance (EITA) facilitates monthly stakeholders’ information sharing forums. During these meetings, stakeholders have an opportunity to bring any suggestions and concerns that they have for discussion and, where required, seek clarification.

Community and Leadership???

Traditional Leadership plays a very important role in the general operations of the mine. Kansanshi engages the community leadership on matters of mutual interest and assists to maintain the much-needed social license to operate.

The company supports traditional values through participating in traditional ceremonies and works with traditional leadership to create awareness of?pertinent issues such as early childhood education, nutrition, environmental stewardship, and social vices such as gender violence and early marriages.

In addition, Kansanshi utilises the counsel of the Council of Elders to inform its engagement with such leadership and traditional bodies such as royal establishments.

North-western Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Through the chamber, many local enterprises have received training in business undertaking. A key member of the chamber offers training to small enterprises through the funding from Kansanshi.

“Everything from hiring and training skilled local staff to educating the community on safety and environmental practices helps bolster a better mining industry in Zambia” - Victor Nsana, CSR Manager, Kansanshi Mining Plc

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Kansanshi undertakes a lot of interventions in the area of community development with the help of such partners operating in the CSR space. The key areas cover education, conservation farming, community safety, livelihoods promotion and support, gender, sports, health promotion and more.

“Within our social responsibility strategy, we have a strong focus on CSR projects that are specifically developed to assist the communities which host our operations,” Nsana adds.?

Education

Kansanshi’s Education Quality Improvement Programme focuses on developing educational institutions across Zambia, including providing re-training of school heads and teachers to improve their leadership skills and enhancing teaching methods and practices.

Furthermore, on the education front, Kansanshi provides teaching and learning materials and school desks, in addition to building classroom blocks. The company also facilitates mine tours for schools for educational purposes and providing computer lessons in schools to develop ICT skills in children at an early age.

Conservation Farming

The aforementioned Conservation Farming unit revolves around training farmers and developing them from a subsistence level to farming for business and profit.

“So far, over 40,000 households have been trained in conservation farming and 7,000 are receiving inputs and weekly visits for technical support” Nsana explains. “In this space, Kansanshi helps them look for market opportunities, provides seedlings for the farmers who practice horticulture, and supports the Conservation Farming for Nutrition initiative that seeks to better the health and wellbeing in our communities.”

Community Safety

The company carries out activities of managing off site community safety, running radio programmes on safety, helping spread the awareness of COVID-19 sensitisation to communities, holding meetings with community safety representatives and patrons (including emergency simulations), and monitoring Acid Tankers along T5 truck road (Zambia). There has been 15 Safety Kinks formed along the T5 road to help as first responders in case of a road accident or community emergency.

Livelihoods Promotion and Support

This involves the designing, implementing and monitoring livelihood projects such as community banking services (Village Banks) especially to women and youths, as well as identifying gaps in the access to incomes, while formulating training programmes to mitigate the issues.

Gender??

Stemming from supporting the livelihoods of individuals, Kansanshi works with partners to support female school pupils with sanitary materials, on top of facilitating the training in sexual, reproductive and menstrual hygiene, and providing support to a safe house for girls who have been sexually abused and keeping them in school by providing free educational bursaries.

The company promotes scholarships to help female pupils continue with their education to higher levels and works with teachers and parents to fight early pregnancies and marriages.

Sports

In the realm of sports, Kansanshi supports various clubs including rowing, cycling, netball, volleyball, football and athletics, and provides bicycle spares and repair services to the communities around the mine.

Health Promotion??

Providing public health and health promotion services to the communities and employees, the recently launched Butuntulu bwa Nyaunda (meaning ‘Community Health and Wellness’) programme focuses on providing community health to communities.

Support to the Regional Referral Hospital, Provincial Health Office and the District Health Office in various interventions also benefits?communities.

Skills Training??

Kansanshi provides training to artisans in automotive mechanics, power electrical, metal fabrication and heavy-duty vehicle repair. Two successive intakes were reserved for female applicants in a role.

SMEs??

By identifying business opportunities that can be filled by local entrepreneurs and starting businesses, Kansanshi also includes training in basic business and financial management skills.

INVESTING IN THE FUTURE??

Moving ahead, Kansanshi will be continuing to invest in these kinds of community programmes and activities in line with its core values.

“The department will continue with the current partnerships but remain open to other mutually beneficial ones that may arise in the course of the current year,” Nsana concludes. “However, there is already a plan to increase the farming aspect of Kansanshi’s conservation farming activities by introducing the fruit tree component in the local communities.

“The key investment is in starting a programme to train apprentices who are making jewellery. The company has also invested in the training of artisans through the skills training programme that is based at the Trades Training Institute where young people are trained in automotive mechanics, metal fabrication, power electrical and heavy-duty equipment repair.”

COPPER FOR THE GLOBE??

Through 2022 and beyond, Kansanshi will continue to stand as not only a key industry player in the Zambian mining, but also a contributor to the development of the wider community surrounding the mine.

Kansanshi will continue to be innovative and focused on decarbonisation and continuous improvement (cost, efficiency, productivity and quality) to ensure the operation is sustainable, recognising its obligation to extract resources responsibly, and that sustainability and social responsibility is an intrinsic part of everything the company does.

Kansanshi’s primary objective is to push its current operations to double annual mined volumes and process throughput by 2025, but alongside this, the many environmental, staff-centric and community efforts are paving the way for the company’s progressive future as a people’s business.

It is through Kansanshi’s continuation of sustainable development that the company will help provide copper in a clean and efficient way to contribute towards the increasing global electrification that we are currently witnessing, so that businesses and infrastructure around the world can incorporate renewable energy technology, made a reality through the facilitation of copper.

In light of this, it is safe to say that copper is leading the way.

Link: https://issuu.com/outlookpublishing/docs/kansanshi-mining-plc

Link: https://issuu.com/outlookpublishing/docs/africa-outlook-issue-95

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