Lumwana '' is a
mining town
A mining community, also known as a mining town or a mining camp, is a community that houses miners. Mining communities are usually created around a mine or a quarry.
Historic mining communities
Australia
* Ballarat, Victoria
* Bendigo, ...
located in
Mwinilunga District, within the
North-Western Province of
Zambia.
Geography
The town is located on the
T5 Highway, approximately , by road, west of
Solwezi and east of
Mwinilunga
Mwinilunga is a town in the North-Western Province of Zambia. It is the headquarters of Mwinilunga District, one of the province's eleven districts.
Location
The town lies on the west bank of the ''West Lunga River'', along the Chingola–Solw ...
.
Lumwana is approximately by road northwest of
Lusaka
Lusaka (; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Zambia. It is one of the fastest-developing cities in southern Africa. Lusaka is in the southern part of the central plateau at an elevation of about . , the city's population was ab ...
, the capital and largest city of Zambia.
It is in the
Copperbelt mineral deposits and mining region of
Southern Africa.
Population
The population of Lumwana was estimated at less than 1,000 in 1999.
With 1,000 new homes constructed in the town since then, it is estimated that the population of the town in 2010 was approximately 5,000.
Economy
Prior to 1999, Lumwana was a rural village.
In 1999,
Equinox Minerals Limited
Equinox Minerals is a mining and exploration company with Headquarters#Corporate, corporate offices in Perth, Western Australia, Perth, Australia and Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has operations in Peru and Australia. In Zambia it owned ...
acquired the nearby
Lumwana Copper Mine. Over the next 10 years, working with its Zambian subsidiary, Lumwana Mining Company Limited, Equinox carried out feasibility studies, sourced financing and constructed the present infrastructure. The mine was commissioned in December 2008 and is the largest employer in the town. In July 2011, Barrick Gold acquired a 100% interest in Lumwana mine.
As of second quarter 2013, the mine employed approximately 1,850 employees and 4,400 contractors. In addition to
copper, the mine also produces
cobalt,
gold, and
uranium.
;Lumwana Multi-Facility Economic Zone
An economic development zone, called Lumwana Multi-Facility Economic Zone (LMFEZ), is being developed around the mining operations, to include among others; manufacturing, agroprocessing, hotels, and resorts.
Transport
Lumwana is connected to Solwezi, the capital of North Western Province, by a paved road (the
T5 Road).
The closest air transport facilities are in
Solwezi () and Mwinilunga (). There are also two old gravel airstrips within of Lumwana. These can handle light aircraft. One of the airstrips, located in the northern part of Chief Mukumbi’s area has been historically used by the Flying Doctor Service.
Plans to build a rail line from
Chingola, through Lumwana, to join the Angolan
Benguela Railway east of
Luacano, have reached an advanced stage. In September 2013, the
Government of the Republic of Zambia expressed its intentions to advertise the North-West Railway (NWR) project to both local and foreign investors who would be interested to develop the infrastructure.
Points of interest
Points of interest within the town of Lumwana or in the local area include:
* The offices of the Lumwana Town Council
* Lumwana Farmers Market — the largest source of fresh produce in the town.
*
Lumwana Copper Mine - A private copper mine that employs over 3,800 people, owned by
Equinox Minerals Limited
Equinox Minerals is a mining and exploration company with Headquarters#Corporate, corporate offices in Perth, Western Australia, Perth, Australia and Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has operations in Peru and Australia. In Zambia it owned ...
and its Zambian subsidiary, the Lumwana Mining Company Limited.
* A branch of
Investrust Bank — A medium-sized commercial bank, licensed by the national banking regulator, the
Bank of Zambia
The Bank of Zambia (BoZ), is the central bank of Zambia.
Overview
The principal responsibility of the bank is to create and implement monetary policy that will maintain the economic stability of the country. The Bank is active in promoting financ ...
.
* Lumwana Premier Resort — a hotel in Manyama, near the Lumwana Copper Mine, and within an hour's drive of Solwezi and Kalumbila.
See also
*
*
References
External links
Google Maps.com: map of LumwanaInfomine.com: Profile of Lumwana
{{coord, 11, 49, 32, S, 25, 08, 08, E, region:ZM_type:city, display=title
Populated places in North-Western Province, Zambia
Mining communities in Africa
Mwinilunga District