KEY POINTS
- Trafigura appoints Chipokota Mwanawasa as executive director in Zambia.
- She brings over 10 years of experience in government policy, mining and energy.
- The group employs about 300 people in Zambia and operates through Puma Energy and Servara.
Trafigura has appointed Chipokota Mwanawasa as its new executive director in Zambia, tasking her with overseeing the commodities trader’s activities across metals and minerals, energy, logistics and business development.
Mwanawasa will be based in Lusaka, where she will coordinate Trafigura’s operations and strengthen its relationships with commercial partners, government institutions and other stakeholders.
Her responsibilities will cover the company’s activities across Zambia’s metals and minerals, energy and associated logistics sectors. She will also lead strategic business development efforts aimed at supporting the group’s operations and expanding its commercial relationships.
In addition, Mwanawasa will support Trafigura’s subsidiaries in the country, including Puma Energy, which operates in fuel storage and distribution, and Servara, the group’s wholly owned logistics, storage and transport platform.
The appointment places an experienced professional with a background in government policy and the mining industry in charge of coordinating the group’s activities in one of Africa’s key copper-producing countries.
Former presidential adviser brings sector experience
Mwanawasa brings more than a decade of experience spanning mining, energy, infrastructure and agriculture.
Before joining Trafigura, she served as a policy adviser to Zambia’s president, providing advice on economic policy, foreign investment and reforms across different sectors of the economy.
She also previously worked as deputy head of the presidential delivery unit, where she supported the implementation of Zambia’s National Development Plan.
Her professional background includes direct experience in the mining industry through her previous role at Konkola Copper Mines, one of Zambia’s major copper producers.
The combination of government policy experience and private-sector exposure is expected to support her engagement with stakeholders as she coordinates Trafigura’s business interests in the country.
Commenting on her appointment, Mwanawasa said Zambia played a central role in global copper and mineral supplies, while the energy sector remained important to the country’s economic development.
She said she was pleased to join Trafigura and intended to strengthen the company’s relationships in Zambia while building on the foundation it had established in the market.
Trafigura has operated in Zambia for more than 20 years, supplying customers across the energy, metals and minerals sectors.
The company and its subsidiaries employ approximately 300 people in the country, underlining the scale of its local operations.
Through Servara, the group operates 29,000 square metres of storage space in Ndola, supporting its logistics and storage activities.
Puma Energy also maintains a significant presence in Zambia’s downstream petroleum market. Its operations include 74 fuel retail sites, four terminals and three aviation fuel sites.
