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    Cementation Africa’s Mindola shaft upgrade: life-of-mine notes for Nkana engineers

    March 23, 2026|

    Reviewed by Joe Ashwell

    Cementation Africa’s Mindola shaft upgrade: life-of-mine notes for Nkana engineers

    First reported on International Mining – News

    30 Second Briefing

    Cementation Africa is upgrading Mopani Copper Mines’ Mindola shaft at Nkana, Kitwe, to extend mine life and raise hoisting efficiency, drawing on its long-running shaft sinking and underground construction experience in Zambia. The contract covers construction and erection of permanent shaft infrastructure, including new fixed installations and associated underground works, to support deeper, higher-volume copper production. For geotechnical and mining teams, the project signals continued investment in legacy Copperbelt infrastructure rather than greenfield capacity, with implications for ground support strategies and life-of-mine planning.

    Technical Brief

    • Scope includes construction and erection of permanent shaft infrastructure and fixed installations at Mindola.
    • Works focus on equipping an existing deep shaft rather than new shaft sinking activities.
    • Package covers both surface shaft infrastructure and associated underground construction tied to the shaft.
    • Contract centres on long‑term, permanent installations rather than interim or temporary hoisting infrastructure.

    Our Take

    Cementation Africa’s role at the Mindola shaft aligns with our other coverage of its strategic fleet management for shaft sinking, suggesting Mopani Copper Mines is buying into a contractor model that prioritises schedule control and mechanised development for deep copper operations in Zambia.

    For Mopani Copper Mines, investing in Mindola shaft modernisation is likely aimed at extending the life and productivity of Nkana mine, which can be strategically important in smoothing output profiles while any new copper projects in Zambia face permitting, power and infrastructure constraints highlighted elsewhere in our Mining coverage.

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    Prepared by collating external sources, AI-assisted tools, and Geomechanics.io’s proprietary mining database, then reviewed for technical accuracy & edited by our geotechnical team.

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