Project management critical in Zambia

Project management critical in Zambia

Global mining giants Barrick and First Quantum Minerals are on massive expansion drives in Zambia.

By Leon Louw founder of WhyAfrica and Endorphin Expeditions.  

During the recent 10-day-long WhyAfrica Business Trip to Zambia, Marelize De Jong, Business Development Manager and Principal Consultant at ProjectLink, joined WhyAfrica for part of the trip to see just how these projects are making an impact in Zambia.

We visited FQM’s Kanshansi mine at Solwezi and Barrick’s Lumwana operation in the North-Western Province after attending the 13th edition of the Zambia International Mining & Energy Conference held in Kitwe in the Copperbelt Province.

Project management critical

With Zambia gearing up for a wave of mega copper projects aimed at lifting output to three million tonnes per annum by 2030, effective project management will be critical.

Delivering such large-scale mining and infrastructure projects is a complex undertaking, requiring tight coordination, disciplined execution, and strong oversight across multiple contractors, timelines, and budgets.

Robust project management will be one of the most critical factors in ensuring that projects are delivered on time, within scope, and within budget, ultimately determining whether Zambia can unlock the value of its copper ambitions.

Visibility and control big challenges

I learnt a lot about the art of successful project management from Marelize during our trip.

“The biggest challenges we see with mining projects are visibility and control, not necessarily technical issues” said Marelize.

“Projects often have the right people and plans in place, but decisions are delayed because teams don’t’ have a clear real time view of progress, risks and costs.”

According to Marelize it is important to have solid project management foundations, strong project controls, structured risk management and clear information flow in place so that teams can make quicker and better decisions.

Put the right structures in place

“It shouldn’t be about adding complexity, it’s all about putting the right structure in place so projects can deliver real business value,” she said.

In the photo Marelize is at the Kansanshi expansion project’s S3 open pit with me and Methembeni Moyo, Head of Africa Practice at NSDV Law, who also joined us on the trip.

The 2026 WhyAfrica Business Trip was organized and operated by WhyAfrica’s sister company tour operator Endorphin Expeditions.

Through our investor and business expeditions we offer our members, sponsors and partners the opportunity to gather their own business intelligence and to make their own assessments and analysis of what they see and hear on the ground.

Through WhyAfrica’s sister company, Endorphin Expeditions, you can now book a seat on these one-of-a-kind expeditions and experience them first-hand through immersive, experiential overland travel through Africa.

At WhyAfrica we don’t just report about Africa, we experience our stories and we take our members, sponsors and partners with us to do the same.

Project management critical in Zambia