Mining a New Future : A Qualitative Analysis of the Africa Mining Vision’s Ideas Among Zambian Mining Policymakers

This thesis examines the ideational foundation of Zambian mining policymakers and compares them to the ideas of the Africa Mining Vision (AMV), which represent a departure from previous neoliberal mining regimes characterised by structural dependency and undermining of development in resource-rich African countries. The study draws from Peter Hall’s policy paradigm theory and investigates whether Zambian policymakers’ ideas constitute a paradigm shift or retain the pre-AMV ideational paradigm of short-term and revenue-first approaches. This study uses a qualitative idea analysis, examining speeches delivered by Zambian mining policymakers between 2022 and 2025. The ideas are compared to the ideational fundamentals of the AMV. The results reveal that the policymakers’ speeches largely indicate ideational change aligned with the AMV, particularly regarding development, value addition, local participation, and structural transformation, which are central tenets of the AMV. However, these ideas coexist with elements of the previous paradigm regarding emphasising foreign investment and private market-led economic growth. The study concludes that mining policymakers’ ideas reflect a hybrid policy paradigm rather than a full paradigm shift. Through its focus on ideational change rather than policy outcomes, this thesis highlights the importance of ideational analysis and contributes to scholarly debate on African mining governance.