Copper output is rising in Zambia again, but whether that will benefit the country or its people is a moot question. To quote the independent economic analyst in this article: “Agreements with the mines should quickly be renegotiated because the tax regime [is] more favourable to the foreign investors than the country”. But the recent history of copper exploitation in Zambia doesn’t give much cause for optimism. One of those investors is Vedanta.
See http://www.minesandcommunities.org/article.php?a=9810.