ZAMBIA – In January 2026, the Mining Appeals Tribunal of Zambia formalised its engagement with the Chandler Institute of Justice (CIJ) for support in updating its rules. It is the latest step in CIJ's ongoing work with the Judiciary of Zambia and the Tribunal to modernise how the country's mining disputes are resolved.

Zambia's Minerals Regulation Commission Act No. 14 of 2024 (the MRC Act) reconstituted the Tribunal with substantially expanded jurisdiction. Its procedural rules, however, have not been updated since 2018, when they were written under a law that no longer exists.

A Mandate Ahead of Its Rules

The Mining Appeals Tribunal was first established under the Mines and Minerals Development Act No. 11 of 2015 (the MMD Act). It was designed as an independent appellate body to hear and determine disputes arising from mining-related administrative decisions. Despite this clear statutory mandate, the Tribunal remained non-operational for nearly a decade.

The MRC Act repealed the MMD Act in 2024 and reconstituted the Tribunal. In effect, the current Tribunal is the first to be appointed and operationalised since its creation in statute almost a decade earlier. Its procedural rules, however, were promulgated in 2018 under the now-repealed MMD Act. Several provisions no longer align with the Tribunal's current statutory context, creating ambiguity in jurisdiction, timelines, and administrative process. The result is a Tribunal operating under an expanded mandate, with rules that have not kept pace with it.

Why Reform Cannot Wait

Zambian courts have repeatedly affirmed that mining-related disputes should, in the first instance, be referred to the Tribunal. This underscores the importance of exhausting the statutory dispute resolution mechanisms Parliament has established for the sector. Yet the Tribunal's prolonged non-operationalisation has left disputes unresolved for years, delaying access to justice in a sector central to the national economy.

Charting a New Rulebook

CIJ is assisting the Judiciary of Zambia and the Mining Appeals Tribunal in reviewing and reforming the Mining Appeals Tribunal Rules. The engagement has three objectives: to diagnose the gaps between the 2018 Rules and the MRC Act, benchmark Zambia's framework against five comparator jurisdictions, and deliver drafting instructions and sample clauses for a modern Rules structure.

CIJ's Technical Report has now been completed, submitted, and adopted by the Judiciary of Zambia in May 2026, a significant milestone in the reform process. The work continues as the engagement moves towards translating that diagnostic work into the drafting of the Rules themselves.

Why This Matters

Mining is the backbone of Zambia's economy, and its growth depends on disputes being resolved credibly. Modern Tribunal Rules are designed to deliver exactly that. Together with CIJ's wider mining sector reform work in Zambia, this engagement continues to build CIJ's standing as a trusted partner in the sector's governance.

CIJ is grateful for the continued collaboration of the Judiciary of Zambia and the Mining Appeals Tribunal on this reform.

A tribunal is only as effective as the rules that govern it. This reform gives Zambia's mining sector a modern rulebook to match its expanded mandate.