INDIA’S efforts to secure critical minerals from Zambia have stalled after Lusaka withheld assurances over mining rights, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
India received an allocation of 9,000 square kilometres in Zambia last year to explore for cobalt and copper, and dispatched a team of geologists who have since returned with mineral samples. The exploration programme was intended to run for three years, after which New Delhi planned to invite private sector participation, conditional on securing mining rights.
The reason for Zambia’s reluctance to provide those assurances was not immediately clear, the newswire said. India is seeking to resume talks, though one source described the situation as uncertain. Both sources declined to be identified as the discussions remain private. India’s Ministry of Mines did not respond to a request for comment.
India is heavily dependent on imports for both metals. Copper imports rose 4% to 1.2 million tons in the fiscal year ending March 2025, a vulnerability that has worsened since the 2018 closure of Vedanta’s Sterlite Copper smelter. The country is almost entirely reliant on imported cobalt, with shipments of cobalt oxide rising 20% in 2024-25 to 693 tons.
New Delhi has been pursuing critical mineral agreements with several African countries on a government-to-government basis, while also exploring opportunities in Australia and Latin America, as it seeks to reduce exposure to a tightening global market for battery and industrial metals.
