FQMs’ Trident Operation Launches Kwanzangana to Empower Communities in Zambia
FQM Trident Launches Kwanzangana, a Community-Led Development Model for Shared Mining Benefits
Kalumbila, Zambia — First Quantum Minerals (FQM), through its Trident operation, has launched Kwanzangana, a pioneering community-driven Corporate Social Investment (CSI) model designed to ensure mining benefits are shared equitably.
Derived from the Lunda word for “sharing”, Kwanzangana embodies the principles of fairness, inclusivity, and sustainability by placing local communities at the centre of development decision-making.
Under the new model, the Trident Foundation will work with elected community representatives, government officials, and traditional leaders to guide how resources are allocated for key projects in health, education, agriculture, and infrastructure.
Speaking at the inaugural general conference in Kalumbila, North Western Provincial Deputy Permanent Secretary Luckson Mulumbi praised the initiative as a reflection of the government’s decentralisation policy.
“Kwanzangana puts people at the centre of development. By ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability, it guarantees that mining prosperity is translated into real improvements in people’s lives,” Mulumbi said.
Trident Foundation Manager Joseph Ngwira highlighted that Kwanzangana is built on the principles of ownership and sustainability:
“Kwanzangana is not simply about funding projects. It is about empowering communities to shape their own future. When people participate directly, development gains are deeper, lasting, and more widely shared.”
Traditional leaders also endorsed the initiative. Senior Chief Musele Musokantanda IV described Kwanzangana as a home-grown model rooted in local values:
“Kwanzangana is about fairness and unity. It allows our people to decide what matters most, while strengthening harmony and shared responsibility in the community.”
The model establishes an independent Executive Committee to oversee a Community CSI Fund, fully supported by FQM Trident. To ensure transparency, the fund will be regulated with independent audits and direct disbursements to service providers.
Kwanzangana aligns with Zambia’s Eighth National Development Plan and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). FQM Trident expects the initiative to deliver a lasting legacy of inclusive and sustainable development that extends well beyond the life of the mine.
