Welcome to Solwezi District - The Hub for
LOCATION
Solwezi district is the Provincial Capital of North-Western Province. The growing mining town is located about 590 kilometers away from Lusaka, the Capital of Zambia. The district is situated north of Chingola district in the Copperbelt and shares borders with Mushindamo and Kalumbila districts within North-Western Province. In the North, the district shares boundaries with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The district forms part of the Central African Plateau and sits on 3435.536 Km2.
Solwezi district sits on a steep terrain and termite hills dot the landscape. The soils of the district are red and orange clay loam and sandy loam which either covers basic and calcareous rocks or older ironstone beds. Much of the red soil areas have heavy tree growth of Isoberlina Brachystegia and short grass. The red loam soils are common in the north of the Solwezi – Mwinilunga road. In the south, the soils change to heavier red-orange-yellow clay overlying ironstone, and there are many extensive dambos which vary from black peaty sandy to clay soils in composition.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES
MINING
Solwezi district hosts one of the biggest open pit mines in the Country. The mine is owned by First Quantum Minerals under the business name of Kansanshi mining Plc.
With the growing mining activities, the district has witnessed an increase in the number of immigrants. As the population grows and the pace of development accelerates, pressure is put on the natural resource base. However, the district has sufficient water resources and good soils that support agriculture. Moreover, the majority of farmers in the district (80%) are small scale farmers. They produce food for subsistence purposes and occasionally realise a seasonable surplus which they dispose for cash.
Agriculture
While mining activities have increasingly gained prominence in Solwezi District as it has becoming one of the major economic activities, agriculture is one of the highly dependable as most households take it as a primary occupation. The main crops that are grown include, cassava, maize, millet, sorghum, yams, squash and the major one being Solwezi beans.
The district has potential for agriculture investment considering factors like;
• Availability of arable land (200,000 hectares)
• Adequate rainfall per annum (1000mm- 1500mm per annum)
• Fertile soils that support the production of maize, soya beans, sunflower, cassava, beans, millet, sorghum and horticultural crops
• 80% of population are involved in agricultural production
• Abundant surface water resource to support irrigation agriculture
• High potential for pond and cage fish farming
• Huge regional market for agricultural produce in neighbouring Congo
• High potential for value addition of fish, beans, soya beans, cassava, livestock products
• Well positioned in the province to off take and bulk various agricultural produce from other districts
• Huge market for horticultural produce arising from mining activities
• Enormous investment potential for large scale livestock production (beef and dairy cattle, goats, pigs, chickens)
banking
The district has almost all major financial institutions in Zambia which include international banks, local banks and micro financial firms although these are mainly concentrated in the Central Business District (CBD). Noted but a few are: Focus General Insurance, UNIFI, Zambia National Commercial Bank (ZANACO), Indo Zambia Bank, United Bank of Africa, Stanbic Bank, Natsave, ZCIB, Zambia National Building Society (ZNBS), Stanbic bank, ABSA Bank, First National Bank and Access Bank among others.
INVESTMENT OPPORTUNITIES
With availability of arable land, limited accommodation and high demand for both domestic and commercial accommodation, real estate developers have an opportunity to invest in the district and provide the deficit in accommodation
• With the ever-increasing developmental activities in the district coupled with rapid population growth, investors can take advantage and build more hotels.
The presence of the mine provides an opportunity to invest in the supply of goods and services to the mine.
• The district also has further mineral exploration potential
• Provision of training opportunities for the workers in the mine
Solar Energy Supply:
Most schools are off the Main Electricity Grid. The provision of solar power would be used to run the computers and other office / domestic appliances as well as boost the power deficit in the province.
