Putting privatisation into practice: the case of Zambia Consolidated Copper Mines Limited

During the 1990s, African governments sought to translate their commitment to privatise state enterprises into action. In doing so, they faced questio ns concerning the form in which these enterprises would be sold, to whom an d on what terms. This paper examines the privatisation of Zambia Consolidat ed Copper Mines (ZCCM) between 1992 and 2000. It argues that the capacity o f the Zambian government to determine the answers to these questions was co nstrained by a number of factors, of which the most important were the stra tegies pursued by potential purchasers, the demands of donors and the finan cial weakness of ZCCM itself.