ZAMBIA – From 21 to 23 September 2026, the Chandler Institute of Justice (CIJ) delivered a three-day training in Lusaka. The programme, called “Governing Mineral Wealth: Foundations in Mining Law and Governance” brought together 35 officials from 11 government institutions. Their goal was to build a shared, foundational understanding of mining law and mineral governance.

Familiar Work, Unfamiliar Foundations

33 of the 35 had never attended training on the foundations of mining law and governance though their work is adjacent to mineral governance.

Their day jobs span a wide range, including mining tax audit, customs, transfer pricing, legislative drafting, parliamentary support, investment promotion, licensing, and environmental policy. Yet despite this experience, the training offered was new to almost all participants.

Mineral Governance Cuts Across Government

The curriculum reflected that spread. It covered the mining value chain, mineral law systems, and regulation. It also covered the fiscal regime and critical minerals. Additionally, it delved into matters of mining agreements, state participation, and dispute resolution, including Zambia's own Konkola Copper Mines/Vedanta v Zambia case. Sessions combined lectures with case studies and a practical State-investor negotiation simulation.

Participants came from the Zambia Revenue Authority, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, the Minerals Regulation Commission, and eight further institutions. The challenges they named at registration echoed the curriculum. These were issues around revenue and taxation, agreements and investment, legal and regulatory frameworks, oversight, environment, communities and local benefit.

The feedback was strongly positive. Every respondent said they would recommend the training to colleagues. The message was clear: participants would value more time to go deeper on the topics that mattered most to them. This shows how necessary the training was.

What Comes Next

With 33 of 35 participants new to structured training in this field, the Foundations course gives 11 institutions a shared starting point. Participants asked for what comes next: more time, deeper coverage of Zambian law and case examples, and dedicated sessions for information-sharing across institutions. That points to a clear next step: a longer, coordinated, Zambia-specific programme, built to help institutions work from the same foundation.

CIJ is grateful to the Zambia Revenue Authority, the Ministry of Commerce, Trade and Industry, the Minerals Regulation Commission, and all participating institutions for their engagement, and to the Chandler Foundation for its continued partnership on mining governance in Zambia.