Strategic thinking has increasingly emerged as a critical competency for public institutions operating under volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity, particularly in resource-dependent economies where governance structures are often under pressure to balance developmental aspirations with sustainability imperatives. This paper explores the manifestation and practical utility of strategic thinking within Zambia’s Ministry of Mines and Minerals Development, the central regulatory authority responsible for overseeing the extractive sector, which constitutes a significant proportion of the country’s economic base. Using a qualitative case study design, the paper draws sources of evidence, through in-depth interviews with policymakers, focus group discussions with sector stakeholders, and systematic analysis of institutional and policy documents, ensuring triangulation and richness of data. The inquiry focuses on Liedtker’s conceptualisation of strategic thinking as lenses through which to assess strengths and weaknesses of strategic orientation. Findings indicate that while the Ministry has articulated an ambitious and forward-looking vision aimed at diversifying Zambia’s mineral economy beyond copper dependence, significant gaps persist between strategic intent and practical execution. Similarly, while elements of intelligent opportunism such as responsiveness to emerging prospects in gold and manganese mining are evident, the absence of robust adaptive mechanisms constrains the translation of these opportunities into sustainable developmental gains. There is a weak practice of strategic thinking when developing Ministerial Strategic Plan and hence misalignment with the National Plan (8NDP) programmes. Knowledge gap exists among the framers of the Plan as most of them were not conversant which suggests the need to deepen the strategic thinking when developing plans.