MOPANI SCOOPS TWO AWARDS AT ZCM MINING AWARDS GALA
Mopani Copper Mines Plc has scooped two awards at the Zambia Chamber of Mines (ZCM) Mining Awards Gala for the year 2025, recently held at Ndola’s Protea Hotel.
Mopani scooped the Best Performer in Local Content for the Year 2025 and also secured the Mining Woman of the Year Award through its Mufulira Concentrator-Electrical Sectional Engineer, Rhodah Serenje Phiri, who beat other contestants from other mining companies.
Kansanshi Mine was named Mining Company of the Year, after winning three of the nine awards presented. Its sister company, Trident Mine, received two awards, while NFCA Mine and Lubambe Mine each won one.
Additionally, Mopani’s Mufulira Mine Rescue team was also honoured at the gala for its achievement at this year’s International Mines Rescue Competition (IMRC). The team emerged second overall in the competition, which was held in Africa, and in Zambia for the first time in its history, at Mopani’s Mufulira Mine site and Kansanshi Mine in Solwezi.
Further, several Mopani officials were recognised for their respective roles in organising the 2026 IMRC. They included Technical Advisor, Mine Rescue, Mr Maron Chongo; Manager-Public Relations, Dr Nebert Mulenga; Mopani Central Training Centre (MCTC) Training and Development Manager, Dr Christopher Chileshe; Mine Manager, Mr Roy Nyambe; and Manager-Projects Planning, Mr Mabvuto Kampeni.
Others recognised were MCTC Mining Training Superintendent, Mr Jacob Mwamba; Malcolm Watson Hospital Superintendent, Dr Frederick Kaoma; Assistant Superintendent, Occupational Hygiene, Ms Theresa Kasanga; Sectional Surveyor, Mr David Bwalya; Project Manager Technology, Mr Alexander Chileshe; Underground Manager, Mr Joseph Mwabalangile; and MCTC Site Facilities Technical Advisor, Ms Namasiku Mambo.
Mopani has been crowned Mining Company of the Year more than any mining company after winning the title which gives industry-wide recognition in 2025 (for 2024), 2017 (for 2015 and 2016 combined), 2015 (for the 2014) and in 2014 (at the Inaugural Awards Gala for the year 2013).
The Chamber of Mines Awards are adjudicated by an independent panel of judges drawn from the academia, civil society and line government departments, including the Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, Minerals Regulation Commission (MRC), the Zambia Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (ZEITI) and the Zambia Environmental Management Agency (ZEMA).
The full list of the eight categories and 2025 winners for the Chamber of Mines Awards are:
- Mining Woman of the Year 2025 (Mopani Copper Mines PLC)
- Mining Personality of the Year 2025 (Lubambe Mine)
- Best Performer in Local Content for the Year 2025 ((Mopani Copper Mines PLC)
- Best Peformer in Social Investment for the year 2025 (FQM Trident Mine Plc)
- Best Mining Employer for the Year 2025 (FQM Kansanshi Mining Plc)
- Best Performer in Innovation for the Year 2025 (NFCA Mine)
- Best performer in Occupation Health for the year 2025 FQM Kansanshi Mining Plc)
- Best performer in Occupation Safety for the year 2025 FQM Kansanshi Mining Plc)
- Best Performer in Environmental Management for the Year 2021 (FQM Trident Mine)
