Bwana Mkbuwa Mine
Bwana Mkubwa Mine is a copper mine located in Ndola, Zambia. It is one of the oldest mines in the country, having been in operation since 1902. The mine is owned and operated by a subsidiary of the Canadian mining company, First Quantum Minerals. The mine has a production capacity of approximately 40,000 tonnes of copper per annum. Copper is the primary mineral extracted at the mine, but it also produces cobalt and sulfuric acid. The mine is an open-pit operation, which means that copper ore is extracted from the surface rather than underground.
The contract for security at Bwana Mkubwa Mine (under First Quantum Minerals Limited) was awarded to Omega in June 2012. Nickson Lunda was appointed as Omega’s Contract Manager. The contract was quite challenging being 400km away from the home base in Lusaka. Only three days after the contract started, we made our first arrests of suspects who were arrested for breaking copper ore at the decant area.
This mine was in a closing down process and First Quantum Minerals sold the mine and the plant to Jubilee Metals Group that transformed the plant to a crusher plant for copper ore. The copper concentrate that is produced at this plant is then transported to Sable Zink in Kabwe (200km from Ndola) where it is processed and the Copper is shipped out of Zambia via road transport.
Universal Mining&Chemicals Industries (Nampundwe Mine)
The mine at Nampundwe mine (75 km west of Lusaka) is an iron ore mine that started on 1 July 2017. The ore is transported to Kafue Smelter Plant that also belongs to Universal Mining & Chemicals Industry in Kafue. They have started constructing a Lime plant on the same site. Omega is still the preferred service provider.
Kalumbila Mine
Kalumbila Mine is a copper and cobalt mine located in the North-Western Province of Zambia. The mine is owned and operated by First Quantum Minerals, a Canadian mining company that has been operating in Zambia since 1996. Kalumbila Mine was commissioned in 2015 and has an annual production capacity of 270,000 tonnes of copper concentrate and 14,000 tonnes of cobalt concentrate. The mine is an open-pit operation and employs over 3,000 people, including contractors.
Omega started rendering security services at the Kalumbila mine contract on 1 September 2012. In May 2017 the operational contract with Kalumbila Minerals was signed. Omega’s involvement in the operation consists of managing the Kalumbila Mine reception at the main gate, access control to various entry points to the mine as well as CCTV operators and physical patrolling the mine premises.
The contract is ongoing and Omega is exceptionally proud of our association with Kalumbila Mine.