Makor enters Zambia with $30M copper plan

Makor Resources has become the latest entrant in Zambia’s copper mining sector, outlining plans to invest as much as US$30 million ($42 million) to advance a pipeline of district-scale projects.

The company on Wednesday announced the official launch of operations, to be underpinned by “disciplined capital deployment and a clear pathway toward development.”

Australia-based Makor, led by American entrepreneur Brooke Bibeault, has assembled a portfolio of copper assets across key geological corridors in Kasempa, Mkushi, Mumbwa, Kitwe and Ndol.

Geological clarity

Makor has has committed to spending between US$2 million and US$3 million by the end of this year. It will focus on building geological clarity and advancing target definition across its greenfield positions, which would be done through integrated geophysics, remote sensing and systematic sampling.

Between US$20 million and US$30 million will be invested over the coming years, Makor said. Funds will be directed toward drilling high-confidence targets, defining mineralized systems at scale and advancing assets toward development readiness, the company added.

This phased and disciplined approach is designed to build a pipeline of technically robust, development-ready assets capable of supporting long-term production, Makor said.

“Global copper demand is accelerating, but supply is not keeping pace. The gap is already forming, and the challenge now is delivering new supply in a way that is timely, structured and responsibly developed,” Bibeault said in the release.

“Zambia is one of the few jurisdictions where geology, policy direction and market demand are aligning at the same time. We already have a portfolio of assets across key copper corridors, and our focus now is advancing them with discipline,” she added.

Companies such as Makor “exemplify the type of partner Zambia seeks,” said Zambia’s permanent secretary for information and media, Thabo Kawana. “Their integrated approach and commitment to governance, community engagement and alignment with global market expectations reflect the vision we have for the future of our mining sector.”