NEWS FROM THE GROUP CEO

COO Reflections on ZIMEC 2025: Key Takeaways

The 12th annual Zambia International Mining & Energy Conference (ZIMEC 2025) took place in March at the Garden Court Hotel in Kitwe. Held under the theme "Promoting Equitable Investment Partnerships, Intra-Regional Mineral Value Chains & Renewable Energy to Catalyse Zambia's Sustainable Economic Growth," the event was officially opened by the Honourable Paul Kabuswe, Zambia's Minister of Mines and Mineral Development.

Right from the opening address, the call to action was clear: "Please - let us interrogate matters of pollution." This urgent plea came in the wake of a serious environmental incident. Just four weeks before the conference, a tailings storage facility (TSF) at a copper leach plant near Chambishi failed. Acidic mine waste spilled, contaminating arable land and the Kafue River, a vital source of drinking water that supports aquatic life and agriculture for over 200 affected farmers.

This incident set the tone for the conference, surfacing repeatedly in discussions and media interviews. It underscored a pressing need for stronger design, construction, operation, and regulation of TSFs throughout the region.

At DM Minerals Group®, we believe this tragedy is a stark reminder of the unsustainable "business as usual" approach that has persisted for too long across the African mining landscape. In contrast, we are committed to a Partnering Approach in all our operations, an approach that fosters shared responsibility among TSF owners, regulators, engineers of record, and operators. It is this collaboration that we believe lays the foundation for sustainable and safe mining practices.

Key Takeaways and Our Commitment:

DM Minerals Group® reaffirms its commitment to the six key behaviours in tailings operation and management that promote compliance, save lives, and protect our environment:

• Conduct meaningful impact assessments (Honestly assess impacts on communities and the environment).
• Build an integrated, multidisciplinary knowledge base.
• Enforce robust standards across the dam life cycle (Avoid compromising on performance-especially in high-risk scenarios, and leverage technology to monitor compliance).
• Promote shared responsibility in TSF management (Clarify roles with a common purpose, and base decisions on the best available data).
• Strengthen operational and community resilience (Adopt a collaborative approach to emergency preparedness, being willing to acknowledge and address power imbalances).
• Ensure open and transparent stakeholder engagement.

ZIMEC 2025 has reinforced our belief that mining and energy stakeholders must continue evolving together to address challenges and build a safer, more sustainable future. We look forward to contributing further at ZIMEC 2026 and beyond.

Nitumezi! (Thank you, in Lozi)