Wednesday, December 25, 2024

First Quantum in talks with potential partners for Zambian assets

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First Quantum Minerals is in talks with potential partners for its Zambian assets, the Canadian miner said on Wednesday, without disclosing names of the firms.

Last week, Reuters reported that Saudi Arabia’s Manara Minerals is closing in on a deal to buy a minority stake in First Quantum’s Zambian copper and nickel assets, citing three people familiar with the details.

“We’re more open to partnerships, and that includes in Zambia, but only if it’s in the interest of our Zambian business, the Zambian government and all the stakeholders involved,” First Quantum CEO Tristan Pascall said on a conference call with analysts.

Shares of the company were up 3% at C$18.93 in morning trading.

The potential Manara Minerals deal, which could be worth between $1.5 billion and $2 billion, is in the spotlight as copper is a much sought-after element for the clean energy transition due to its uses in manufacturing electric cars and supplying power to data centers for artificial intelligence.

For First Quantum, a stake sale in the Zambian mine would help reduce debt that has ballooned after its flagship Cobre Panama mine was ordered shut last December by the Panama government due to public protests. The company is waiting for a decision on the mine’s future and also for approval from Panama’s new government to ship 121,000 metric tons of copper concentrate that is stuck inside the mine.

Approval to sell that copper would provide working capital to maintain the mine.

The Canadian miner is spending between $11 million and $13 million per month to maintain the mine. Pascall warned that in a few months the company would have to cut costs, including reducing the workforce.

26 COMMENTS

  1. An opportunity for Zambia (using NAPSA money!) to increase its shareholding in the mine. Owning more of the mine as a sleeping partner, while revamping the taxation system by sealing all loopholes, would be a win-win for Zambia.

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  2. Big shame to my nation, we are supposed to be owning these huge mines, but no. A Canadian firm owns big mines & are looking for fellow foreigners to continue raping our nation of her resources

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    • After 38years aboard and beating your chest about it. What do you own in Zambia? You speak of government owning assets yet apart from being loud and obnoxious here, tell us what you own. Even in that country youve lived in you own nothing to speak of…
      Be objective and productive before being critical

  3. We are supposed to be having Zambian multi-billionaires in US Dollars like the Dangotes of this Africa, but no, back home pipo are so small minded that they will frustrate you from being a billionaire

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    • In one of your past posts/comments on LT, you mentioned that you had millions from your businesses. Why not buy some shares???
      You’re a typical Zambian who wants to shine at the bar with talk, but no walk at all.

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    • Imwe Zambia doesnt have the “critical mass” to produce those millions….or billions you suggest. The kind of millionaires that Zambia has are traders. Very few are producers, the economy or population can only sustain a very few and a hand full of millionaires in dollar terms. Billionaires when your national GDP is small? Be rational….stop reading glossy magazines that you dont understand. Go to a junior college and take course to put context you those magazines that you just look at pictures and commentaries but fail to read the full articles.

  4. It will start with the seating president at that time to harrass you, they set ZRA, DEC, Anti-Corruption Entities against you just to stop you from being a billionaire & just the sheer of jealous among your peers

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  5. How do you expect Zambia to prosper? Proper nations supports / promotes their citizens to be billionaires b/coz the more billionaires are in a nation the greater the economy of that nation!!!!!

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    • @Luka how did GMB make his money? From the FRA trucking deals, were they competitive? What happened to Arizona trucking from 2010 to now? When he was Minister of Defence the courts have cited and proved how he used the position to give himself contracts. Why is he sitting jail. Please stop celebrating theives. There people out there struggling and making money. But bottom line unless you supply to government, your volumes and turnover will be reasonable small. Zambia has no critical mass to speak of. Unless of course you have an over priced product which again begins to raise the eyebrowse of the authority. So let be honest and sincere. Clean money is good money.

  6. That’s why most of us who are doing well here in diaspora are hesitant to come & settle home. We discuss this among the elite rich Zambians here in diaspora & the only thing we do is just build some houses back home while all our riches are with us here b/coz back home too much jealous

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    • You are lying. You are not a professional from the manner you are articulate issues. If you are semi professional you are at the lower end of the spectrum. So please find somewhere else where you can display your frustration. For a month you have been ranting inaccuracies. Stop giving the impression that Zambians have not travelled. Like Mwamba you want to give the impression Zambians dont know and have never been anywhere. Just keep trudging at your deadend life where you have realised after 38 years you have not achieved anything other that brag to others that you live abroad.

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  7. So until we change our mind-sets we will keep on begging, selling our resources cheaply to foreigners. I betcha there are alot of rich business Zambians in diaspora that are in our groups but non of us are willing to move our businesses home

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  8. I hope it’s not another offshore transaction in which Zambia’s assets are sold without Zambians accruing any benefits

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    • Neither have we developed the capacity to participate insuch deal.
      The closesr we have come is the for ZCCM exec who owns the magnesium mine in Luapula, the rest are speculators who get a mining licence and leverage that with Capital and use that to buy flashy cars and numerous girlfriends

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  9. We should be ashamed of themselves….and we think we are so poor and we keep on feeding the west with our vast mineral resources…come on guys….they come to get our money and we go to them and ask for breadcrumbs in return….i thought HH was a game changer….I WAS WRONG

  10. So HH is just a Politician like Kaunda…Chiluba…Mwanawasa….Rupiah…Sata…Lungu….all useless…Kaunda spent all his time fighting neighbors wars whilst neglecting Zambians…Chiluba spent all his Presidency privatizating all our companies…Mwanawasa spent most of his Presidency trying to fight Chiluba….Rupiah Banda spent most of his Presidency preaching wako ni wako….Sata spent most of his Presidency inviting the Chinese and hiding at State House…Lungu spent most of his Presidency trying to fight HH…and now HH is spending his Presidency trying to fight Lungu and bankrupt Zambia

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