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By Nkosilathi Mudiyi
A proposed critical minerals partnership with the United States is moving forward on a separate negotiating track after Zambia secured a formal separation between mineral access discussions and a US$1.5 billion health funding agreement.
Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Mulambo Haimbe confirmed the development at a signing ceremony on 8 October 2026, for the health pact, under which the US will provide US$1.5 billion in funding. “There was this Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) on health and another on critical minerals and we were saying that these need to be decoupled and this has been done,” said Haimbe.
The minerals agreement remains under negotiation. Asked for further details, the Minister declined to elaborate, saying it was “still being negotiated”. Lusaka had resisted an arrangement that directly linked US health funding to greater American access to its mineral resources. Separating the agreements addresses that concern, although the terms of any eventual minerals partnership remain unclear.
The negotiations carry strategic significance for Zambia, the second-largest copper producer in sub-Saharan Africa after the Democratic Republic of Congo. Copper is essential to power networks, renewable energy infrastructure and electric vehicles, placing the country in a strong position to engage with governments seeking to diversify critical mineral supply chains. A potential agreement could strengthen Washington’s access to strategically important resources, while giving Lusaka an opportunity to attract international investment and retain greater influence over how its mineral resources are developed and supplied to overseas markets.
Haimbe did not identify which minerals could be covered by the proposed agreement, nor disclose whether discussions include investment commitments, local processing or other forms of value addition. No final minerals agreement has been announced. The outcome will depend on the terms negotiated by both governments, including the scope of any access arrangements and the extent to which the partnership could support Zambia’s broader ambitions for its mining industry.
