The New Copper Corridor: Zambia, Tanzania and the Race for African Trade

By Osmara Digital Media Africa’s economic map is being reshaped by a growing race to control the transport corridors that connect the continent’s mineral-rich interior to global markets.

At the centre of this transformation is the emerging Zambia–Tanzania copper corridor, linking Zambia’s mineral-producing heartland to the Indian Ocean through Tanzania’s port of Dar es Salaam.

For Zambia, the corridor offers an important alternative route for exporting copper and other minerals. For Tanzania, it presents an opportunity to strengthen its position as a major gateway for landlocked countries in Southern and Central Africa.

The stakes are increasingly high as demand for copper rises globally, driven by electric vehicles, renewable energy, power transmission, batteries and other technologies that depend heavily on the metal. From Copperbelt to the Indian Ocean Zambia is one of Africa’s major copper producers, with much of its mining activity concentrated in the Copperbelt region.

For decades, the country has depended heavily on transport routes through neighbouring countries to reach international markets. The geography of Zambia means that efficient and reliable transport corridors are essential to its mining industry and wider economy.

The route toward Tanzania provides a strategic connection between Zambia's Copperbelt and the Indian Ocean, with Dar es Salaam serving as a major export gateway.

At the centre of this connection is the Tanzania-Zambia Railway, commonly known as TAZARA, which was constructed to connect Zambia to Tanzania and provide a route to the coast independent of southern transport networks.

Today, the railway is once again attracting attention as African countries seek cheaper, more reliable and more integrated ways of moving minerals and other goods across borders.

Why Copper Matters Copper is no longer simply a traditional industrial commodity. It has become one of the most strategically important minerals in the global energy transition. Electric vehicles require significant amounts of copper. Renewable energy projects need copper for electrical wiring and transmission infrastructure. Power grids, telecommunications networks, data centres and modern manufacturing also depend on the metal.

That makes Zambia's Copperbelt strategically important not only to Zambia but also to Africa's ambitions to become a major player in the global green economy. The question, however, is whether Africa will simply export more raw copper or use the growing demand to develop processing, manufacturing and other industries within the continent.

Tanzania Wants to Be More Than a Transit Country For Tanzania, the corridor represents an opportunity to expand its role in regional trade. Dar es Salaam already serves as a major maritime gateway for East and Central Africa. Strengthening connections with Zambia could increase cargo volumes through the port while expanding opportunities for logistics companies, railway operators, truckers, warehouses and border communities.

The benefits could extend beyond Zambia and Tanzania. Improved infrastructure could strengthen commercial links with other landlocked countries and create a broader network connecting Southern, Central and Eastern Africa. This is where the corridor becomes bigger than copper.

It is potentially part of a wider African trade system in which roads, railways, ports and border posts operate as interconnected economic infrastructure rather than isolated national projects.

The TAZARA Question One of the biggest challenges is the condition and capacity of the railway infrastructure.

TAZARA was created as a strategic link between Zambia and Tanzania, but maintaining and modernising a cross-border railway over such a long distance is expensive.

If the railway is upgraded and becomes more reliable, it could reduce pressure on roads and provide mining companies with an alternative to long-distance trucking.

That could lower transport costs, reduce congestion and potentially improve the competitiveness of Zambian exports. But infrastructure alone will not be enough. The corridor will also require efficient customs systems, modern border facilities, predictable regulations and closer coordination between the two governments. The Race for African Trade The Zambia–Tanzania corridor is emerging at a time when African countries are competing to position themselves at the centre of the continent's future trade networks. Ports from the Indian Ocean to the Atlantic are seeking greater access to landlocked markets. Governments are investing in railways and highways, while mining companies are searching for cheaper and faster routes to international markets. The implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area has also increased expectations that better infrastructure can help African countries trade more with one another.

But Africa's infrastructure challenge remains enormous. The continent has vast mineral resources, agricultural potential and a rapidly growing population, yet poor transport connections continue to increase the cost of moving goods between countries.

A successful Zambia–Tanzania corridor could therefore become a model for what regional infrastructure integration can achieve.

Can Africa Move Beyond Raw Mineral Exports? Perhaps the biggest question is what happens after the copper reaches the coast. If Zambia exports mainly unprocessed copper while other countries manufacture the higher-value products, much of the economic opportunity will remain outside Africa.

The corridor could instead become part of a broader industrial strategy. Copper processing, cable manufacturing, electrical equipment, battery-related industries and other forms of value addition could create jobs and strengthen local supply chains.

That would transform the corridor from a simple transport route into an economic corridor. Such a transformation would require investment, skills, reliable electricity, industrial parks, financing and coordinated policies across borders.

Communities Along the Corridor The economic impact will not be measured only in tonnes of copper or containers passing through Dar es Salaam.

Communities along the route could experience increased demand for accommodation, food, transport, warehousing, construction and other services.

Border towns could become important commercial centres. However, rapid growth can also bring challenges, including congestion, road safety concerns, environmental pressure and unequal distribution of economic benefits.

Governments will therefore face the challenge of ensuring that major infrastructure investments translate into tangible opportunities for ordinary citizens.

A Corridor With Continental Significance The Zambia–Tanzania connection is ultimately part of a much bigger African story.

The continent is trying to move from fragmented national economies toward stronger regional value chains. Minerals produced in one country could be processed in another, transported through a neighbouring country and exported through a regional port.

That model could help African countries capture more value from their natural resources while strengthening intra-African trade. For Zambia, the corridor offers a strategic route to global markets. For Tanzania, it strengthens the country's position as an Indian Ocean gateway.

For the wider continent, it represents something potentially more important: a test of whether African infrastructure can finally keep pace with Africa's economic ambitions. The race for copper may be global, but the race to build the corridors that carry Africa's wealth to markets is increasingly becoming an African one. And along the Zambia–Tanzania route, that race is already gathering momentum.