As Zimbabwe’s Raw Lithium Ban Pays Off, Ambitions Grow
Officials say beneficiation has drawn more than $1 billion in investment as the country seeks jobs, local processing and higher mineral earnings.
- Zimbabwe's first lithium processing facility became fully operational in May at Goromonzi, marking a milestone in the country's push to halt raw mineral exports. Chinese-owned Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe built the $400-million plant, the first of its kind on the continent.
- Zimbabwe implemented an export freeze on raw minerals in February to capture more economic value domestically. President Emmerson Mnangagwa stated the country will no longer tolerate raw exportation, aiming to end "horse and rider" investment relationships.
- Investment in the lithium value chain has exceeded $1 billion since the February freeze. Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe reported its lithium carbonate plant is about 90 percent complete, generating more than $1.1 billion in foreign exchange.
- Smaller miners warn that limited access to processing facilities could stifle participation. Shelton Lucas, business development director at Naivo Mining, cautioned that without support mechanisms, a few companies could control capacity and dictate prices.
- Starting next year, the government will apply export restrictions to 13 other critical minerals including cobalt and platinum. Supporters characterize the policy as "structured inclusion," aiming to secure long-term benefits from Zimbabwe's finite mineral resources.
11 Articles
11 Articles
Zimbabwe: Can Zimbabwe's Mineral Ambitions Benefit Smaller Producers?
Analysis - Zimbabwe wants to move beyond being a supplier of raw minerals and build industries that process and manufacture from its own resources. But as the government tightens restrictions on unprocessed mineral exports, smaller miners are asking whether they will share in that transformation or be left behind.
Zimbabwe opens first lithium processing plant becoming Africa's top producer
Zimbabwe's first plant to process clean-energy metal lithium -- of which it is Africa's top producer -- is up and running, a milestone in its expanding drive to stop the wholesale export of its raw mineral wealth.
As Zimbabwe's raw lithium ban pays off, ambitions grow
Buoyed by the development, the small southern African country is determined to go much further in its drive for local processing of its resources, even eyeing its own production of rechargeable lithium batteries. It is part of a push by the country -- and others on the continent -- to add value domestically to raw materials to create jobs and lift export earnings. "We will no longer tolerate the raw exportation of our wealth," President Emmerson…
Zimbabwe shifts from raw mineral exports to retain local value
Zimbabwe is shifting away from exporting raw minerals as it seeks to retain more value from its vast natural resources. President Emmerson Mnangagwa says the country wants to move away from foreign investments that extract minerals without creating enough local value. A lithium sulphate plant in Goromonzi is at the centre of Zimbabwe’s push to process minerals domestically. The strategy aims to turn raw materials into higher-value products, incl…
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