It’s time for the 2021 Christmas quiz!

Your time to shine has arrived, dear reader! Mining for Zambia’s annual quiz is back, giving you the chance to show off your knowledge of Zambia’s biggest sector. If you’re a regular reader, get ready to share your score on social media, and encourage friends and family to catch up! If you’re feeling a bit rusty – or simply haven’t had the time to stay up to date these last few months – you’re in luck because all the answers can be found in our articles from the year gone by. Just look for the ‘hints’ along the way. Best of luck! 

How many of the world’s top 20 copper-producing mines is Zambia home to? (Enlighten yourself by reading ‘Could Zambia join the top 10?’)

One

Two

None

Correct! Wrong!

Which key change(s) to the mining tax regime were announced in the 2022 Budget Speech? (Go back and peruse ‘Behind the Budget’ for the answer.)

The removal of mineral royalty non-deductibility

A restructuring of the Mineral Royalty Tax (MRT) rates so that they increase incrementally, much like the way Pay As You Earn (PAYE) operates

Both of the above, with time frames to be confirmed

Correct! Wrong!

What happened to Nature’s Nectar, the mine-supported startup in Northwestern Province that empowers Zambian honey farmers, since FQM Trident Foundation provided the capital to buy their first batch of 2,000 hives in 2018? (There are clues aplenty in ‘A sweeter future for Zambian honey’ and ‘More honey, more money, more jobs’)

After Nature’s Nectar had proven itself to be a reliable and impactful livelihood partner, the Trident Foundation invested in another 5,000 beehives in 2019

More Zone Lead Farmers have been trained in harvesting and maintaining the hives, in collaboration with honey farmers in the community who nominate them for the role

The company is pursuing opportunities that would allow them to build their own processing plant, making them independent producers of their honey and allowing them to process honey for smaller local producers

All of the above

Correct! Wrong!

How much was invested in getting First Quantum Minerals’ Sentinel mine online in August 2015? (Hint: it represented the single-largest upfront infrastructure investment in Zambia, since the Kariba Dam. Scan ‘Zambia’s history of copper production — Part 2’ for the answer.)

US$ 8.1 million

US$ 2.1 billion

US$ 1.1 billion

Correct! Wrong!

When 'Mining For Zambia' asked several of the country’s financial brains and mining experts whether the 2022 Budget’s proposed changes to the mining tax regime are positive for Zambia’s economy, which of them responded with a resounding ‘Yes’? (Hint: Read ‘What do next year’s changes to the mining tax regime actually mean for Zambians?’ for the answer.)

Mr Michael Phiri, Tax Partner at KPMG Zambia

Veston Malango, CEO of the Chamber of Mines of Namibia

Professor Oliver Saasa, economist

Mr John Kasanga, economist

Mr Phiri and Prof. Saasa

All four of them

Correct! Wrong!

What happened to the First Quantum Minerals-funded School-on-Radio programme after 31 July 2020 when it was scheduled to end? (You’ll find all the clues you need in ‘School must go on’.)

Classroom-based teaching resumed so the programme was discontinued as planned

Feedback from teachers, learners and parents was so positive that FQM decided to continue funding the programme for another two months

Feedback from teachers, learners and parents was so positive that FQM decided to continue funding the programme and, after schools were ordered shut again in June 2021, the programme was ramped up again

Correct! Wrong!

How much more copper do Electric Vehicles (EVs) require, compared to their combustion engine counterparts? (Psst: Read ‘Will Zambian Copper Be Part of the Coming Green Revolution?’ to ensure your EV knowledge is up to date.)

Six times as much copper

Twice as much copper

Three times as much copper

Correct! Wrong!

How long has the Kansanshi-funded Business Development Training Programme – which provides microentrepreneurs in Solwezi and surrounding areas with the necessary business skills to empower their success – been running? (Hint: Read ‘The businesspeople of North-Western’s future’ to find the answer.)

Eleven years

Three years

Six years

Correct! Wrong!

What consensus on mining was reached during Zambia’s April 2021 mining indaba and the online Zambia International Mining and Energy Conference (ZIMEC) which followed it? (Hint: read ‘Seeing eye to eye’ to learn more.)

Green energy is the opportunity of a lifetime for Zambia

Only with increased investment in exploration, mining and mineral processing, can Zambia’s Government and its people benefit from an increased contribution from the mining industry

Both one and two

Correct! Wrong!

How many Zambian entrepreneurs have been provided with business skills to empower their success via the Kansanshi-funded Business Development Training Programme’s inception? (Hint: Read ‘The businesspeople of North-Western’s future’ for the answer.)

Almost 3,000

Approximately 1,000

Over 400

Correct! Wrong!

ZRA collected an impressive 43 percent above its projections for revenue and grants between January and May 2021, with substantial increases in income tax receipts, VAT and mineral royalties driven by mining companies. How did experts primarily hope this windfall would be spent? (Hint: The answer is in ‘Putting windfalls to work’)

They hoped it would be spent on new infrastructure projects

They hoped it would be used to service Zambia’s debt

They hoped it would be allocated to state pension funds

Correct! Wrong!

Which records for copper production were broken in 2020, according to statistics released earlier this year? (The answers are in ‘Is the world seeing the future of Zambia’s mining sector in a new light?’)

Kalumbila-based Sentinel mine produced a record 251,216 tonnes of copper, an increase of 14% from 2019

The country’s overall production totalled 882,061 tonnes of copper, up 10.8% from 2019

Both Zambia as a whole and FQM’s Sentinel mine broke copper production records

Correct! Wrong!

How much of Zambia’s national copper production in 2020 came from the FQM-run Sentinel and Kansanshi mines in Northwestern Province?

Over 53%

Almost 50%

35%

Correct! Wrong!

How are the Kansanshi Cycling Team's recent successes linked to Zambia's future? (To remind yourself why there’s more to this cycling team than meets the eye, have a read of ‘Kickstarting a positive cycle’.)

First Quantum Minerals’ Kansanshi Sports Foundation hopes that the cyclists it sponsors will eventually represent Zambia at the Olympics

When you encourage growth of a sport at the grassroots level to the point that it becomes popular recreationally and sparks the development of elite athletes, the sport ultimately begins to generate its own interest and funding from other sponsors, sustaining itself

One of the Kansanshi Sports Foundation’s goals is to provide athletes with a range of educational opportunities so that they can support themselves in a future with or without mining

Both two and three

Correct! Wrong!

What happened in May 2020 when Namibia reversed its decision to make mineral royalties non-deductible, as was the intention announced in Zambia’s 2022 Budget Speech? Read ‘Meet the Zambian at the helm of Namibia’s mining sector’ to find out more.)

There was a temporary loss of confidence in the economy

Confidence in the mining sector was instantly renewed

Investment into the country’s mining sector immediately followed the announcement and, along with it, renewed confidence

Correct! Wrong!

Mining for Zambia Christmas Quiz 2021

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Wishing all our loyal readers a restful, safe and happy holiday season!