Refining the future: harnessing a new era for Zambian mining

Joseph Jalasi has been working in the law for three decades, across government, public office, and private practice roles, but the Senior Partner of Dentons Eric Silwamba, Jalasi & Linyama in Zambia admits he’s never seen anything like the recent surge in mining and energy instructions he and his firm are now receiving. 

“We get inquiries from Western companies, the Chinese, the Indians, and since I came into private practice in 2011 I’ve never seen such a surge with regard to mining,” says the Head of Mining for Dentons Africa. “I mean, it’s either you’re advising on the new regulatory frameworks, doing a due diligence, advising on exploration licenses, or doing an M&A for mining entities and joint ventures.” 

A number of “distinguished top tier mining houses” are knocking on Zambia’s door again, says Joseph, noting the recent modernisation of Zambia’s mining framework has had the desired effect. “It’s not only copper, we are also seeing an upsurge in gold, as well as things like manganese and cobalt, and lithium.” 

It’s one of the reasons Joseph is so excited for the first-ever Zambia edition of the prestigious GC Forum Extractives, which has been held alongside Mining Indaba in Cape Town for many years. Themed "Structuring Growth in a New Extractives Era", the exclusive one-day event will be held in Livingstone on 29 September, bringing together lawyers, mining companies, financiers, and other stakeholders.

The GC Forum feels very timely, says Joseph, as investment appetite and regulatory reform converge. “Everybody is looking here, there’s massive interest.” 

Zambia is looking to make the most of that attention, with the country having recently embarked on one of the most fundamental reforms of any African mining regime in decades. Where licensing, regulation, and dispute resolution were previously concentrated within the government ministry, the new framework separates those roles, moving oversight to a statutory Minerals Regulation Commission, and creating a Mining Appeals Tribunal to adjudicate disputes.

For Joseph, the objective is greater investor confidence and security of tenure at a time when global demand for copper and other critical minerals offers Zambia an extraordinary opportunity. “The first change that drove it was to make our mines much more attractive to international investors,” he says, creating “a regulatory environment which could give them confidence” and greater security of tenure.

Three million tonnes of copper, per year. A big number that the Zambian government is targeting within the next five years. Currently the country produces around 850-900,000 tonnes each year. Reaching the ambitious 2031 goal will require “a predictable, transparent, and competitive regulatory framework”, says Chama Simbeye, a Senior Associate at Dentons Zambia who works with Joseph,

Regulation alone will not be able to deliver such a transformation - the Zambian copper mining industry growing to three and a half times its current size, says Joseph. Energy capacity and wider infrastructure will also be crucial. The country’s ambitions, adds Joseph, must go beyond what lies beneath the ground. 

“People talk about mining, and we’ve had mining shows before, but mining is a lot of things,” says Joseph. “It’s also about banking, and energy. That’s why I’m excited about the GC Forum, I don’t think we’ve ever had an international conference like this that brings together people from different disciplines, focused on mining.” 

Joseph will be presenting a Quickfire session on “The Regulatory Outlook: What Businesses Need to Know”, offering delegates practical insights into emerging legislation, licensing, compliance requirements, and the issues most likely to influence investment decisions. In a Zoom-fuelled world of remote connections, there’s real power to bringing the right people together in a room, he says. “When you’re in person, you have small talk, you have the conversations before and after the presentations, you have those interactions, and it’s more human.”

For Chama, the first Zambia edition of the GC Forum Extractives is a chance to turn conversations into something enduring; “a platform for us to build trust”, where ideas can develop into collaborative relationships and policy refinements. 

That combination of local knowledge and relationships is central to how Joseph sees Dentons’ role in Zambia and the wider region’s new era in mining. As Head of Mining for Dentons Africa, he helps connect international reach with on-the-ground expertise for mining companies whose operations rarely stop at national borders. “We’ve got international standards, but importantly the local expertise.” 

As the world looks more towards Zambia that it has in decades, the question now, says Joseph, is how effectively the country can turn attention into investment, production, local participation, and lasting value. “It’s such an exciting time.”

Dentons is supporting the inaugural Zambia Edition of the GC Forum Extractives, themed "Structuring Growth in a New Extractives Era", to be held in Livingstone, Zambia on 29 September 2026. For more information, visit here. 

This event is free to attend for mining and energy GCs and in-house legal teams; mining and energy professionals in leadership, risk, and compliance roles; government relations, policy and regulatory professionals; investors and financiers in the mining and energy sectors; NGOs and academia. To attend please register here.

For more information about this GC Forum Extractives event, including speaker slots, sponsorship, and attendance, please contact Scott Cowan on scott@africa-legal.com