ZCCM-IH Shareholders Approve the Kansanshi Royalty Transaction
ZCCM Investments Holdings Plc (ZCCM-IH) shareholders have approved the Kansanshi royalty conversion where the Company will now receive 3.1% of Kansanshi Mining Plc’s (Kansanshi) total revenue. The royalty revenue will be paid on a quarterly basis over the entire life of the mine of Kansanshi that currently extends to the year 2045.
The approval was given at the Shareholder’s Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) held in Kitwe on 31st March 2023.
The royalty income stream replaces the former model of unpredictable and unguaranteed dividend pay-outs. These were made at the discretion of the Board and were dependent on company profitability.
Instead, a royalty is predictable and guaranteed as it will be charged at 3.1% of the company’s total revenue (from sales of Copper, Gold, and all other metal products) as per the Royalty Agreement. This therefore guarantees a steady income stream for ZCCM-IH, as long as there is production at Kansanshi.
ZCCM-IH Board Chairperson Ms. Dolika Banda says that this will result in a far healthier cash flow for ZCCM-IH which will in turn make it far easier for the Company to raise financing pursue its ambitious investment strategy.
Ms Banda further states that “the royalty arrangement will give us consistent and stable income, and fundamentally will change the financial health of ZCCM-IH by so doing. Our ambition is to make investments throughout the mining value chain – from exploration, through to value addition – so that we may help to create national economic success stories for the benefit of all Zambians; and for our shareholders, value creation and a return on their investment.”
A comparison of actual dividends received from Kansanshi since 2009 with estimates for future royalty rates shows that not only will overall revenue be far greater under the royalty model – but the revenue flow is also more predictable and consistent.
In addition, a royalty will see ZCCM-IH benefit from future high copper prices, in the likely event of a price recovery from recent market turmoil. It also affords protection from the worst of any future price slump as it is paid on production, not profitability. If Kansanshi is in production and earning revenues, a royalty will be paid – even if the mine is then producing at a loss.
ZCCM-IH will continue to hold 20% of the shares in Kansanshi Mining Plc, retain 2 out of 10 board seats, and thus continue to participate in the governance of Kansanshi and having full visibility of Kansanshi operations.
The completion of the Royalty Transaction follows extended discussions over the past three (3) years between First Quantum Minerals (FQM) and ZCCM-IH.
