Investigator: CDEP Affiliate Anja Benshaul-Tolonen
Zambia, a country abundant in minerals and metals such as gold and emeralds, boasts a vibrant mining industry. Copper alone generates 80% of export earnings and accounts for about 14% of the national GDP. As an integral part of key global economic sectors such as electrical infrastructure, transportation, and construction, copper has been industrially mined for over a century in Zambia's Copperbelt Province. The country plans to further boost its copper production in the coming decades to meet the growing global demand, projected to triple by 2040 due to the green energy transition's heavy reliance on copper. Across a series of research projects, my research in Zambia examines the economic, environmental, and social dimensions of copper and critical mineral extraction. Together with collaborators, I study how mining affects surrounding communities, how environmental risks are experienced and measured, and how mineral extraction connects to local firms and global supply chains.
This work combines household and community-based research, environmental measurement, and large-scale administrative data—including millions of customs and VAT records—to understand mining from the community level to the global supply chain.
Critical Minerals and Backward Linkages: Evidence from 22 Million Customs and VAT Records in Zambia
Anja Benshaul-Tolonen and Paula Fernandez Musso
Critical Minerals and Chinese Supply Chains: Evidence from VAT and Customs Records
Anja Benshaul-Tolonen and Paula Fernandez Musso
(Working paper available upon request)
Mine Suppliers: Understanding Backward Linkages in Kitwe, Zambia
Anja Benshaul-Tolonen and Paula Fernandez Musso
Resources Policy 108 (2025), 105672.
Dust, Discoloration, and Distrust: Lived Experiences in Zambia’s Copper Mining Communities
Anja Benshaul-Tolonen, Paula Fernandez Musso, Mulu Gebreyohannes, Obrian Ndhlovu, and Elias Charles Nyanza
Working paper 114
Soil Contamination and Ecological Risk in Zambia’s Copperbelt Mining Communities
Elias C. Nyanza, Paula Fernandez Musso, Mulu Gebreyohannes, Obrian Ndhlovu, and Anja Benshaul-Tolonen
(Working paper available upon request)
