Ivanhoe Mines awarded license for copper exploration in Zambia

Ivanhoe Mines, led by Executive Co-Chair Robert Friedland and President & CEO Marna Cloete, has been granted a substantial 7,757-square-kilometre exploration licence package in Zambia’s North-Western Province.

This significant development follows the signing of a memorandum of understanding in September 2024 with the Republic of Zambia’s Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development. With active support from the Ministry, Ivanhoe’s geological team identified this highly prospective region based on shared geological data, including results from Zambia’s ongoing nationwide airborne geophysical survey.

Strategically situated between Ivanhoe’s Western Forelands Exploration Project in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and the company’s exploration licences in Angola, the newly granted Zambian licences are over three times the size of the Western Forelands. The company intends to explore for copper mineralization linked to Basement Domes, Katangan sediment-hosted systems, and iron-oxide-copper-gold (IOCG) systems. Ivanhoe’s geological model suggests that the copper-rich sedimentary facies from the Western Foreland Shelf in the DRC may extend southwest into Zambia and Angola, making this an exceptionally high-potential area for future discoveries.

Geological potential

Ivanhoe’s exploration approach in Zambia will mirror its success in the DRC, where its team has discovered over 50 million tonnes of contained copper at projects such as Kamoa-Kakula. In 2025, Ivanhoe plans to execute its most extensive exploration program to date, committing $50 million towards 102,000 metres of diamond drilling and 18,000 metres of reverse circulation drilling. A resource update for the Makoko region, along with a maiden estimate for Kitoko and Makoko West, is expected soon.

President Hakainde Hichilema welcomed Ivanhoe’s entry into the Zambian mining sector, emphasizing its alignment with the government’s ambition to raise copper production above 3 million tonnes annually by 2031. He noted that the investment signifies more than just mineral development—it represents a broader commitment to job creation, economic growth, and equitable resource sharing.

Robert Friedland highlighted the strong geological potential of the region and commended the Zambian government’s collaborative and investor-friendly approach. He emphasized that the new licences in Zambia and Angola possess similar geological characteristics to Ivanhoe’s world-class discoveries in the DRC. The company also sees Zambia’s improving power infrastructure, particularly the regional hydroelectric interconnector used by Kamoa-Kakula, as a key advantage.

Importantly, much of the licence area remains unexplored due to its cover of Kalahari sands, making it a frontier for potentially large-scale copper discoveries. Historic exploration work, such as airborne geophysical surveys conducted by BHP in the 2000s, had ceased in 2015, leaving the area virtually untouched in recent years. The ongoing high-resolution airborne magnetic survey by the Zambian Ministry of Mines will accelerate Ivanhoe’s early-stage exploration efforts, cutting down acquisition time and costs significantly.

In the second quarter of 2025, Ivanhoe will appoint environmental consultants to conduct baseline studies and develop an Environmental Management Plan (EMP) for approval by Zambia’s environmental authorities. Community engagement will precede the deployment of exploration teams. The company plans a rigorous program including aircore and auger drilling, soil geochemistry, and further geophysical surveys to understand the subsurface geology and generate high-priority drilling targets. The central part of the licence area, in particular, is considered highly prospective for copper mineralization within basement inliers similar to those hosting Barrick’s Lumwana Mine to the northeast.

Ivanhoe’s expansion into Zambia marks a significant step in its broader exploration strategy to uncover new, high-grade copper deposits across the Central African Copperbelt, reinforcing its position as a leading player in the global copper exploration and development industry.