One of the ways that listed companies ensure that they have the continued support of key stakeholders such as investors in the company is by maintaining regular dividend payments. It is the desire of every investor to realize a return on investment over the investment horizon. This is why during its 78th meeting held on 29 March 2018, the ZCCM-IH Board amended the Company Dividend Policy.

“The ZCCM-IH Policy now states that the Company may pay a minimum of 35% of the unconsolidated Net Profit after Tax (NPAT) for any financial year in which a positive unconsolidated NPAT was recorded”, read a statement in their new 2020 to 2026 strategic document.

Over the past two years of implementing its 2018-2023 strategic plan, ZCCM IH made some notable achievements which included consistent dividend pay-outs to shareholders. Since the 2015 financial year, the group has paid approximately K537 million to shareholders as dividends. Except for 2016, investors were paid a dividend every year as shown in the table below.

Astute investors who have read the new strategic plan will notice that ZCCM IH has also included a strategy towards capital gains. They intend to generate greater shareholder value by ensuring price discovery on our stock exchange listings.

According to Investopedia, “Price discovery is the overall process, whether explicit or inferred, of setting the spot price or the proper price of an asset, security, commodity, or currency. The process of price discovery looks at a number of tangible and intangible factors, including supply and demand, investor risk attitudes, and the overall economic and geopolitical environment.”

Market development being one of the key factors that influences price discovery, ZCCM IH will be turning to its listings on the London Stock Exchange and Euronext to achieve this. These are more mature stock exchanges compared to the developing Lusaka Stock Exchange. They will look intently at ZCCM IH’s projections to invest circa USD2.69 billion in the selected sectors in the Strategic Plan period. An investment hypothesis viewing the investment horizon through such as lens will note that it is highly probable for a consistent dividend to be maintained.

Source : http://fizambia.com/?p=10036

After two years of executing a 5-year strategic plan, ZCCM IH’s board has made the bold decision to change its strategic course towards a more impactful undertaking that will see the investment group focus on mining, according to the Board Chairperson in his message to shareholders.

“Two years into our 2018-2023 Strategic Plan we have undertaken further strategic introspection which culminated into a strategic revision process. This led to the development of a new strategic plan as it became imperative that the change in strategic focus required a complete overhaul of the 2018-2023 strategic plan”, read an extract from Chairman Eric Silwamba from the new Strategic Plan which was recently released in January 2021. “This was necessitated by the changing business environment that calls for us to remain impactful, maximize shareholder value and drive growth largely in the mining industry in which we are deeply associated as an entity”.

According to CEO Mabvuto Chipata, “this new strategic plan (the”2020-2026 Strategic Plan” or the “Strategic Plan”) has been motivated by the need for ZCCM-IH to re-focus its investments in mining and the mining value chain”.

It is this strategic intent that led to the acquisition of a majority stake and retain ownership of Mopani Copper Mines in which the investment group had until recently been a minority shareholder. This is in line with the executive summary of the strategic report that states “focus for ZCCM-IH in this new strategic plan is directed to mining and mining-related investments, and emphasises the need for ZCCM-IH to drive the development and growth of the mining sector in Zambia”.

Much as it normally pays to have a small chunk of a larger cake than a large chunk of small one, ZCCM IH is also positioning itself to address the inequities that come with being a minority shareholder. The Achilles heel of being a minority shareholder resulted in the investment group having limited ability to influence operational and strategic direction for investees. What this means is that representation in these companies is not impactful as it does not constitute a sizable vote when it comes to decisions being made that influence return on investment. In short, Board representatives can make statements, but majority rule dictates the level of anxiety for pursing shareholder interests. Therefore, the remedy to this is majority or significant minority shareholding.

Source : http://fizambia.com/?p=9885

THE Bank of Zambia (BoZ) has commenced accumulation of gold as part of the official international reserves assets following the purchase of 47 kilogrammes of Dore gold from Zambia Gold Company Limited.

In a statement, Tuesday, the BoZ announced that following its formal commencement of gold purchases, it was now expecting Kansanshi Mining Company Plc, the First Quantum Minerals (FQM) subsidiary, to also start supplying the central bank with gold bullion during this quarter to bolster its reserves.

“…The Bank is also expecting Kansanshi Mine to supply gold bullion within the first quarter of 2021. The local purchase of gold follows the signing, on December 11, 2020, of the Gold Purchase Agreement with Zambia Gold Company Limited and Kansanshi Mine. Gold purchases is a strategic decision made by the Bank to broaden the composition and diversification of international reserves portfolio. The addition of gold as a reserve asset will augment the country’s international reserves. Reserves are an essential part of the Bank’s toolkit in providing protection against adverse economic shocks, and in achieving the monetary policy objectives of price and financial system stability,” stated BoZ.

“Purchasing gold locally using local currency provides a sustainable avenue of international reserves accumulation, provides a long-term store of value, and further enhances investor confidence. It also provides the necessary liquidity for the Bank’s foreign market operations. This is consistent with the broad objectives of government’s Economic Recovery Programme (ERP), which was launched on December 7, 2020.”

Zambia’s burgeoning gold market is gathering momentum, especially after the establishment of the state-of-the art US $250,000 Consolidated Gold Company laboratory in Lusaka last year, designed to ascertain the quantity and quality of gold mineral held by local traders.

ZCCM-IH, who have a projected national target of 40,000Kgs of gold, pegged its starting offer price for gold from the local market at a competitive price of K550 per gramme.

Kansanshi’s 2020 gold output is projected at nearly 3,700Kgs, the highest out of all of FQM’s other gold-producing mine sites globally, making Zambia an outstanding gold investment destination and potentially lucrative market.

Source : https://diggers.news/business/2021/01/06/boz-starts-gold-accumulation-in-quest-to-bolster-reserves/