Above and beyond mining: KCM leads Zambia's private sector workforce

Konkola Copper Mines now employs more than 14, 500 people across Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe. Its reach goes far beyond the payroll, into families, communities and the global race for copper. KONKOLA Copper Mines is now the largest private sector employer in Zambia. More than 14, 500 people work at its operations in Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe, up from about 11, 500 when Vedanta was reinstated as owner. That is a 30 percent rise in a few short years, at a time when formal jobs are among the most valuable things any economy can create. Behind those jobs sit families. Most KCM employees support several dependants, from their own children to parents, siblings and cousins, which means the number of Zambians who rely on a KCM salary for food, rent, school fees and medicine runs many times higher than the payroll itself. In a country where one formal wage often carries an entire extended family, few private investments touch as many lives. These are also well paid jobs. KCM raised salaries by 20 percent in July 2024 and by a further 13 percent in January 2026, a combined increase of about 35 percent. For a young artisan in Chililabombwe, that is the difference between getting by and building a future. Safety sits at the centre of that promise. Konkola is one of the deepest and wettest underground mines in the world, and working there demands discipline. KCM has brought in a raise bore machine to improve ventilation underground and has trialled a new emulsion explosive that is safer to handle and more productive. Monthly mine development is now at its highest level in a decade, and it is being achieved with the safety of every worker in mind. KCM's commitment extends to the health and education of its employees, their families and the wider community. Through its independent Community Trust, KCM has invested $20 million that has reached around 100, 000 people through malaria control, scholarships, youth skills training and road works. The jobs on the payroll are only part of the picture. A further 1, 200 people have been employed through business partners at Konkola alone, and KCM buys from a wide network of local suppliers and contractors. Vedanta also put $250 million into a creditor scheme to settle what the mine owed, much of it to Zambian businesses. On top of that, KCM and its employees generated about $180 million for government through PAYE, royalties and other taxes, money that funds schools and clinics far beyond the Copperbelt. The story also matters well beyond Zambia's borders. Copper is essential to electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines and power grids, and global demand is rising fast. Konkola holds one of the highest grade copper ore bodies in the world, and as international buyers look for reliable sources of critical minerals, KCM's recovery puts Zambia firmly on that map. Vedanta has invested $705 million since reinstatement, all of it remitted into Zambia. Production more than doubled from 45, 000 tonnes in FY2025 to 129, 000 tonnes in FY2026, with 185, 000 tonnes targeted this year and 500, 000 tonnes by 2030, a direct contribution to the national goal of three million tonnes under the Grow Zambia Agenda. Board Chairperson Dr Moses Banda says the company's people remain its greatest strength. "Being Zambia's largest private sector employer is a responsibility we take seriously. When we hire one person, we are investing in a whole family and, often, a whole street. We want our people to work safely, earn well and see their children educated and healthy, and as we grow we want more young Zambians from Chingola, Chililabombwe, Kitwe and Nampundwe to build their future with us." Those benefits then trickle into every corner of the mining towns. Traders in Chiwempala market stock up on payday, transport operators and caterers take on more staff, and landlords in Nchanga and Lubengele rent rooms to young miners starting out. Residents still remember the years when the mine's future was uncertain and shops closed their doors, which is why the recovery now under way means so much. For KCM, being the country's largest private sector employer is measured not only in jobs, but in families secured, communities strengthened and a nation better placed to grow.

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