Recently, an awards ceremony of the 7th CSR and Sustainability Awards convened by CSR Network Zambia was held in Lusaka. Lubambe Copper Mine Limited (LCML), a subsidiary of JCHX, has been awarded the 2026 CSR Excellence Award in Education Infrastructure Development for its outstanding contributions to community educational infrastructure development. LCML stood out among numerous participating enterprises to receive this honor.
LCML is the only and very Chinese-invested enterprise that receives a professional award in the education category and across all specialized award categories at this year's evaluation. This achievement fully demonstrates the high recognition from the authoritative local institution of JCHX's long-term, active fulfillment of its social responsibilities and its role in establishing a model of shared development and co-construction with the local community.
CSR Network Zambia is a non-profit and authoritative professional institution in Zambia's corporate social responsibility (CSR) sector. Since its establishment in 2019, the organization has become a highly credible and renowned professional body in Zambia by organizing influential CSR awards, providing strategic consulting on sustainable development for enterprises, and participating in the formulation of relevant standards and policy frameworks. For companies operating in Zambia with a focus on sustainable development, this institution is not only a key stakeholder but also a vital platform for showcasing social responsibility practices. The CSR and Sustainability Awards is its core annual branding event, aiming to recognize companies that have made a "profound impact" and demonstrated excellence in areas such as education assistance, healthcare, environmental protection, occupational health, agriculture and food safety, and cultural and sports development. The "CSR Excellence Award in Education Infrastructure Development", as one of the key professional categories, specifically honors companies that have made outstanding contributions in this field.
As the Zambian government continues to advance its policy of free access to quality education, helping surrounding communities build and improve teaching facilities and supporting utilities to enable more children to realize their dream of attending school close to home has always been a key focus of LCML's social responsibility efforts. To date, LCML has constructed more than 16 new classrooms for schools in the nearby towns of Konkola and Kasumbalesa, including Konkola United School, Miyanda Primary School, Golden Eagle Primary School, and New Konkola School, directly benefiting over 4,000 students, which represents a concrete action in support of Zambia's policies for the development of basic education.
Beyond the construction of school buildings, LCML has also addressed a long-standing water shortage for over 2,500 teachers and students by building a well for New Konkola School. Previously, due to the lack of water supply facilities on campus, teachers and students had to walk approximately two kilometers round trip every day to fetch water from a nearby private hotel. Improving water access became an urgency for the school. Since the completion of the well, clear water has been flowing continuously with a simple turn of the tap. This has not only freed the teachers and students from the toil of long-distance water collection but also brought comfort and joy to their hearts. At the same time, the well provides a stable water source for vegetable cultivation and fruit tree irrigation on the school campus, helping students acquire agricultural knowledge and life skills through practice, thus further expanding the depth and breadth of their educational support initiatives.
This award is a high recognition of LCML's long-term commitment to community engagement and its active promotion of sustainable development practices. Looking ahead, LCML will continue to uphold the philosophy of being a responsible corporate citizen, persistently focusing its efforts on environmental protection, community development, and economic empowerment to make even greater contributions to the sustainable economic and social development of Zambia.
At a thematic conference held after the awards ceremony, representatives from LCML engaged in in-depth discussions with participants on how to enhance impact through the practice of corporate social responsibility and how to translate sustainable development concepts into practical, localized real-world solutions. JCHX's experiences and achievements in sharing development gains with host communities of its overseas projects, which has set a benchmark for mutual benefit between enterprises and local communities, were shared during the event.
