Africa’s second-largest copper producer curbs raw copper exports and makes demands of Chinese firms.

The limits on raw metal exports reflect a broader regional push among resource-rich African countries aiming to move beyond basic extraction toward full-scale industrialization.

By requiring investors to construct local smelting, refining, and manufacturing capacity, Zambia aims to generate skilled jobs, expand state revenues, and build resilient domestic supply chains.

This policy shift extends across multiple commodity sectors on the continent. In West Africa, President Bola Tinubu of Nigeria declared an end to raw cocoa bean exports, establishing a firm mandate to grind beans, press butter, and manufacture branded chocolate products domestically.