JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – ASX-listed junior Zambezi Resources this week committed to develop its 100%-owned Kangaluwi copper project into “the world’s greenest copper mine” while generating local jobs and improving livelihoods.

The exploration and mining company aimed to work with local communities and environmentalists to ensure the conservation of the Lower Zambezi National Park and development of the “cleanest, greenest and safest copper mine ever built”, Zambezi Resources MD Frank Vanspeybroeck said.

The project, which spanned 245 km² – including the 11 km² proposed openpit operation – of the 4 092 km² Lower Zambezi National Park, received the green light from the Zambia government for the project’s environmental-impact statement (EIS) to take the project to the bankable feasibility study (BFS) stage.

Lauding the Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection, which had overturned the Zambia Environmental Management Agency’s (Zema’s) rejection of the EIS, Zambezi Resources chairperson David Vilensky said the Zambian government allowed the Kangaluwi copper project to proceed within the national park as part of its revised Mineral Resources Development Policy.

“[The policy] seeks to strike a fair balance between the benefits of mining and the protection of the environment and wildlife conservation. Provided its policies and laws are respected and adhered to, such investments will create employment opportunities for ordinary Zambians,” he said.

The project, 35 km from the Zambezi river, aimed to create an initial 500 jobs for the people living in the surrounding area, with the company working closely with the region’s supportive traditional leaders to improve livelihoods and bring economic development to the area.

Vilensky acknowledged the importance of conserving the environment, particularly in a sensitive area such as the Lower Zambezi National Park.

“We share the concerns of those who have so vocally expressed their opposition to the project.

“For this reason, we are keen to engage with local environmentalists to ensure we can achieve a win-win situation: bringing jobs and prosperity to local communities while protecting – and indeed enhancing – the flora and fauna of the area,” he averred.

The construction and development of the mine was subject to strict conditions issued and monitored by Zema to ensure total compliance with the Environment Management Act of 2011.