Resources strategy and sovereign partnerships shape the vision for his future
For more than thirty years, Mumena Mushinge has operated at the intersection of natural resources, traditional leadership, and industrial development. Having worked in mining, hydropower, metallurgy, and community development, Mushinge has built a unique space for himself as an executive in industry and steward of culture. At a time when the world is searching for more equitable and sustainable economic models, Mushinge provides a grounded example of how to link investments with sustained community benefits.
Whether leading a mine, developing hydropower assets, or establishing governance systems, Mumena Mushinge brings a clarity of strategic intent to each circumstance. His work fundamentally connects to a long-term relationship — connecting global capital to African resources, with protocol for traditional leaders, energy accessibility, and national resilience.
Leadership Across Sectors and Continents
Mumena Mushinge holds a number of roles today in a host of high-impact organizations. Mushinge is Chair of Terra Metals Inc., a mining investment company headquartered in Delaware with an operation in Zambia, and Lunda Resources, which owns copper and cobalt holdings in northwestern Zambia. He is also Co-Chair of TerraMetals Zambia and Luapula Hydropower Corporation.
Together these companies represent Mushinge’s leadership ethic — integrating business efficiencies with traditional governance models. Through the Baushi Royal Foundation, he represents a collective of 13 chiefdoms with the mission to leverage their natural resources to foster development.Under Mushinge’s leadership, the Mombotuta Energy project, which seeks to harness 600 MW of energy, was launched with an intent to share the benefits and to be sustainable over the long term.
On the ground in Zambia, Mushinge also chairs the Central African Renewable Energy (CARE) group, which holds licenses for solar and mineral exploration. He also connects with grassroots, as a trustee for chiefdom trusts and a board member of Zambia’s largest community hydropower development corporation, where community voices are heard in policymaking and project decisions.
Real Achievements in Challenging Utilities
In the sectors of renewable energy and mining, moving from the point of exploration to production can never be easy; Mushinge demonstrates he can traverse that challenge. More recently, he signed a USD $100 million joint venture agreement holding court at the U.S. Embassy in Zambia, making U.S.-based Metalex Commodities a strategic partner to Terra Metals. He also oversaw the commissioning of a copper and cobalt plant capable of generating an impressive up to 3,000 tonnes per month of production, and national consent for a 500 MW hydropower project at Mambilima Falls. His respective organizations have completed environmental impact assessments for a number of solar sites in the 200 to 300 MW range, and were also teed up for potential multimillion-dollar feasibility grants from U.S. development agencies.
Mumena Mushinge is intentional and deliberate in his approach to these developments. He requires accountability from all parties involved in the venture; whether it be the mining partner, government agency, or multi-national financier. The consistency and discipline he instills make him a respected figure in a space characterized by transient allegiances and transient thinking.
Energy for Development, Not Export
One of Mushinge’s guiding principles is that African energy and minerals should be used for African development first. His work in hydropower and solar back this up. He is pursuing over 1,000 MW in projects that prioritize both the national energy need and the local community energy needs.
In projects like the Kalungwishi corridor solar developments, and the Nalolo Solar Power project in Western Province, his companies make energy access a community issue, not a commercial issue. Mushinge’s leadership emphasizes stewardship of the environment and getting proper consent from local governing bodies, and an economic inclusion piece for communities that live near energy developments.
The Mushinge approach, through building infrastructure with attention to Zambian internal economy first, avoids the extractive model that ignores local contexts. For Mushinge, energy systems cannot work around communities, energy systems have to work for communities.
Capital Markets with Local Accountability
One of the ways Mumena Mushinge is changing how we do things is linking the capital markets with chiefdom based governance mechanisms. Through the Zambia Mineral Exchange and other financing vehicles, he is creating opportunities for small miners and traditional organizations to access capital with competitive terms.
He is currently working on a reverse takeover of a Canadian listed company to bring Terra Metals into the public markets and he has helped build new joint ventures that create new financial and legal voices for local stakeholders. These efforts are designed for building economic sovereignty, using tools that most think only multinationals have access to.
By focusing on frameworks that include publicity, joint ventures with publicly available terms; audits; and defined benefit lines. Mushinge is addressing Zambia’s resource wealth in a broader context than just a few multi-million-dollar royalty payments for indigenous people. This is an approach that will resonate with communities and foreign investors who are seeking good corporate citizenship in their partnership.
Standing Safe Amidst Backlash
Anyone in public life is subjected to the public’s questioning. Two years ago, there were false and defamatory allegations about Mushinge that circulated on social media. Mushinge addressed these allegations directly; he has not been convicted of any crime and has never been admitted to any facility. His openness and continued service in public service have allowed him to restore his public image and reputation. As of today, he is operating without restrictions of the U.S. or Zambian Government from operating. He has high-level, on-going partnerships with government ministries, U.S. Government Agencies and global investors many of whom he still have their trust as a partner in Africa’s future.
A Global Connector on a Local Scale
Mumena Mushinge identifies as a connector; someone who connects industry, government and traditional leadership for solutions to complex problem solving. The role of connector is especially relevant now with a more secure supply chain and climate transition. Through his role, Mushinge assisted in setting Zambia up as a serious player in the market of critical minerals.
But, Mumena is as much as possible concerned about what it means for local people. His philanthropic efforts through chiefdom trusts are focused on education, youth employment and cultural preservation. His teams make investments in benefit-sharing programs that give communities a stake in the infrastructure built on their lands. He supports cultural programming and next-generation leadership training.
Long-Term View on Reputation and Legacy
Ultimately, Mumena Mushinge wants his enterprise, and others like it, to be a model for responsible development on the African continent. His aspiration is not simply to grow businesses like CARE Investments or Terra Metals, but to demonstrate that resource management can help both profit and people.
He believes that African ex-patriots should reclaim their rightful role in international markets not only as commodity exporters, but also as ethically aligned leaders who define the future of the continent through fairness and transparency. In one year, he’d like to be recognized as an accomplished executive who made wise decisions to uphold his values, enabled communities to realize their sovereign financial instruments, and helped communities engage in their own future.
Why Mumena Mushinge’s Work is Important Right Now
During a period of global resource competition and emerging energy dynamics, leaders like Mumena Mushinge bring more than just experience, they bring a model of balance. They recognize that the value of a mine or dam lies not only in what it produces but in how it nurtures the future generation’s ability to produce.
For Zambia and many other African states, the coming decade will rest on how leaders manage their capital (and derived assets such as real estate and land), as well as energy usage. Mushinge uses a combination of strategic thinking, impassioned community development and engagement, as well as significant sector expertise that places him in a small group of like-minded individuals.
He is more than a businessman. He is a connection. He is more than a policy maker. He is a doer. He is more than a figurehead. He is a developerof systems, of accountability and trust, and of enduring value.
