The Mining Promotion Corporation (MPC) is planning three copper exploration projects in Mashonaland West in 2027, targeting previously exploited areas where copper resources remain largely unquantified as the Government moves to expand Zimbabwe’s mineral portfolio amid growing concerns over future global supply shortages, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The projects will cover a reserved exploration area known as MSW04, stretching from Mangura to Sanyati. They are expected to assess the economic potential of copper deposits that received limited attention during earlier mining operations.
The programme comes as Zimbabwe seeks to reverse a prolonged decline in copper production, which has left the country producing well below historical levels despite growing international demand.
Copper output fell by 52% to 1,216 tonnes in the first quarter of 2026, from 2,561.78 tonnes during the same period in 2025, according to figures from the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development’s Research Department. Zimbabwe produced approximately 16,000 tonnes in 1990 before mine closures, underinvestment and operational challenges contributed to a prolonged decline.
MPC Chief Executive Officer Tapiwa Nyamutukwa told Mining Zimbabwe on the sidelines of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development’s Strategic Planning Workshop that the three projects would be spread across two areas in Makonde and another around Mangura.
He said previous mining activities in these areas had largely focused on identifying gold seams, leaving the extent of copper mineralisation insufficiently established.
“For copper, we have a reserved area which we call MSW04. It’s in Mashonaland West. It covers an area that stretches from Mangura to Sanyati. Our exploration will be divided into three strategic areas. Two areas are in Makonde and one is in the Mangura area,” he said.
“These areas were partially exploited in the past, but miners were concentrating on identifying thin gold seams and the copper resources there are not fully quantified. So the exercise that we intend to carry out will look at and assess the economic potential of those copper assets and hopefully they will be developed into production further on.”
MPC expects the initial exploration work to provide an indication of mineralisation within 12 months, establishing a basis for deciding whether to advance the projects or attract external investors.
The initial findings are expected to guide subsequent exploration by indicating whether the identified areas warrant further investment and detailed geological assessment.
The exploration drive comes as the global copper market faces mounting pressure to secure new sources of supply. BloombergNEF projects demand to rise from 28.5 million tonnes in 2026 to almost 46 million tonnes by 2050, against a potential supply deficit of 20 million tonnes.
Meeting that demand could require approximately US$332 billion in new mine investment. With copper projects taking an average of 17 years to develop, identifying new deposits early will be critical to addressing future supply constraints.
For Zimbabwe, this presents an opportunity to attract exploration investment and establish the commercial potential of resources that have not been adequately assessed. However, translating that potential into production will depend on the quality of exploration results and the investment required to develop viable deposits.
Gaps in the country’s geological information have previously emerged as a constraint to attracting exploration capital, particularly when compared with established copper producers in the region. Improving the availability of reliable geological data is therefore central to MPC’s wider exploration mandate.
Beyond copper, the corporation is expanding its exploration interests to include gold, tungsten and other critical minerals as it seeks to identify additional resources for future mining development.
Nyamutukwa said the corporation’s work would also generate geological reports and a national database to help prospective investors assess opportunities in Zimbabwe’s mineral sector.
“The reports that we produce and the database that we create for the nation will then be used to attract more investment into the mining sector and also further on into mining development,” he said.
The expanded programme builds on the Government’s decision under the First National Development Strategy (NDS1) to strengthen MPC’s capacity to conduct mineral exploration on behalf of the State. Under the Second National Development Strategy (NDS2), the corporation is seeking to broaden its mineral exploration portfolio.
The Ministry’s strategic planning deliberations also highlighted exploration as a foundation for future mining growth, with methane gas among the additional areas receiving attention.
Nyamutukwa said MPC was also looking to expand its work into methane gas exploration following discussions on the subject during the workshop.
“The Minister spoke about carbon methane gas exploration in the country, which is something that the Mining Promotion Corporation is also looking at and expanding into,” he said.
The broader exploration drive reflects the Government’s efforts to expand Zimbabwe’s known mineral resource base and improve the geological information available to investors, with the ultimate objective of turning underexplored deposits into viable mining projects.
