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In its drive to be a good corporate citizen and relevant in the communities where operates, First Quantum Minerals has in the last seven years invested a total of US$19,292,062 in road infrastructure in the areas surrounding its Kansanshi Mine in Solwezi district of North-Western Province.
The mining firm’s Roads Department, in partnerships with Solwezi Municipal Council and Roads Development Agency, has stabilised township roads in Solwezi that were previously in a deplorable state and presented a danger to local people whose livelihoods depend on them.
The work is in stark contrast to the bizarre claims in a recent widely discredited pamphlet by an NGO called Southern Africa Resource Watch that falsely claimed: “You need to search hard in each community to find Kansanshi’s investment. All the villages have kept their original character – no running water, no electricity, no tarred roads, and no decent houses. No modernisation. No urban development.”
The mining firm is of the firm view that when transport systems are safe and efficient, they provide economic and social opportunities that result in positive multiplier effects such as better accessibility to employment and additional investment.
“First Quantum Minerals remains the largest investor in this the country in which I grew up and have lived all my life. There can be no question about the strategic contribution we have made to the country. Investment on an unprecedented scale, not just in our two world-class mines: Kansanshi in Solwezi and Sentinel in Kalumbila, but also in ensuring everyone feels part of the massive development taking place in the province,” said FQM country manager General Kingsley Chinkuli.
Because of its intensive use of infrastructure, FQM has recognised the transport sector as an important component of the economy and a common tool used for development, with a clear relationship between the quantity and quality of transport infrastructure and the level of economic development. High density transport infrastructure and highly-connected networks are commonly associated with high levels of development.
“In order to improve market accessibility, reducing travel time, cutting vehicle operating costs due to bad road infrastructure, and maximising economic and social activities, we need to ensure that there is a good and reliable transport network,” said Gen. Chinkuli.
He further said that a natural equilibrium must be sought that sees Zambian’s get their fair-share; to realise benefit from their own country’s natural endowment while making investments a true business proposition.
“A good example to showcase the benefits of FQM’s investment is the Solwezi-Chingola road. This strategic artery carries up to 60% of Zambia’s mineral wealth. And the company has spent more than US$3.5 million to date in engineering and maintenance works, reconstructing certain sections on the road and even surfacing of some of the unsealed base courses constructed by the contractors.
“First Quantum has unilaterally rehabilitated this road to a high standard; I ask you travel down that road today and see the world of difference. It is give and take; whether it is schools, HIV or malaria programmes, education improvement programmes, clinical assistance or conservation farming, local business development, local employment and skills training, First Quantum is happy to play its part in directly contributing to the communities in which we work. Because what is good for First Quantum is good for Zambia,” said Gen. Chinkuli.
The mining firm has aligned its community initiatives with every one of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a move that puts the mining giant at the forefront of best practice in private sector social investment locally and globally.
FQM’s local procurement of goods and services, construction of schools and clinics, the upgrade of Solwezi Airport, roads and the renovation on infrastructure at the Solwezi General Hospital cover Goal 9 to build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialisation and foster innovation.