The streets and pathways of a mining town are usually dominated by mining staff in hard hats, work suits and men and women going or returning from work. They are the fabric of the town’s main activity but also the clearest sign of a bustling operation. For visitors coming to Kalumbila Town for the first time, it can be a fascinating insight into what makes the town tick and kick on.
When people talk about the town, they often mention the mines, the modern and well planned infrastructure, or the ambitious vision to make it “The Happiest Town in Africa.” But behind the clean streets, growing businesses, and the sense of calm that defines this place are ordinary men and women whose work and resilience have shaped the town into the vibrant community it is today.
The construction workers at the sprawling Pineapple residential development. The nurse and doctor at the newly opened Wumi Mini Hospital. The teachers in the local schools. Marketeers with their fresh fruit. Garbage collectors across the town. The everyday faces in the town are people who ensure that Kalumbila Town is a thriving community.
Their personal stories mirror town developers Kalumbila Town Development Corporation (KTDC) broader vision — a town designed not only for industry but for people.
“Through partnerships with private developers, training institutions, and initiatives like the Kalumbila Business Incubation Centre, the focus is on empowering local talent and enterprise. This enterprise will unlock the local economy to create jobs and build a sustainable future for the community,” says KTDC manager Michael Kabungo.
“It’s a model that blends planning with purpose: creating investment and enterprise opportunity across education, construction, and commerce. The result is a community that feels lived-in, not manufactured, town where ambition meets belonging.”
When the sun sets in Kalumbila Town and the solar lights go on in the streets and public spaces, children play near the new sports fields, traders at the market square sell their stock, and the community converges. It’s easy to see why Kalumbila Town is resisting precedents of the past where mining towns struggle to operate outside the mining activities.
Residents call it the Happiest Town in Africa — because for them, happiness isn’t just a slogan. It’s something they’ve built, brick by brick, lesson by lesson, trade by trade.