By Staff Reporter
Bikita- Bikita Minerals has invested a cumulative US$380 million to expand its mineral processing operations, marking a significant step in Zimbabwe’s drive to beneficiate its mineral resources and reduce the export of raw minerals.
The investment has seen the commissioning of new caesium concentrate and tantalite recovery plants, allowing the lithium producer to diversify its mineral output while adding value to resources locally.
Bikita Minerals Assistant General Manager Thomas Mupfumi said the company had invested US$60 million in the caesium concentrate plant, with additional investment going towards the construction of the tantalite recovery plant.
“A total of US$60 million has been invested in the caesium concentrates plant, while further investment has gone towards tantalite concentrate recovery. As of now, a cumulative US$380 million has been invested,” said Mupfumi.
The newly commissioned tantalite plant has the capacity to produce more than 72 tonnes of tantalite concentrate annually, processing over five million tonnes of low-grade feed ore.
Bikita Minerals had previously produced lithium concentrate as its sole product but has now expanded its operations.
“Before this, Bikita Minerals was producing lithium concentrates as a sole product. As we advance, we are now producing additional caesium concentrates as well as newly recovered tantalite concentrates,” he said.
The hybrid caesium processing plant has the capacity to produce more than 5,000 metric tonnes of caesium concentrate and over 60,000 tonnes of lithium concentrate annually. It also serves as the precursor concentration stage for recovering tantalite, enabling the company to extract multiple valuable minerals from the same ore.
The expansion has created 99 direct jobs, while the company has also invested US$20 million in strengthening its power infrastructure and a further US$2 million towards rural electrification projects covering Bikita, Nyika, Zaka, Gutu and surrounding communities.
Speaking at the plant tour, Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Soda Zhemu said the investment reflects the Government’s push for mineral beneficiation.
“Let’s beneficiate our minerals, and this is evidence that you continue to hear the call by our President of value addition so that we realise much more value from our minerals. We don’t want them exported in raw form out of the country, because it would be as good as exporting jobs. We need the jobs here in Zimbabwe,” he said
The commissioning comes as the Government intensifies efforts to promote local value addition in the mining sector. In May this year, Zimbabwe banned the export of lithium concentrates as part of broader measures aimed at encouraging domestic processing and downstream industries. The move followed earlier restrictions on the export of unprocessed lithium ore and forms part of the country’s strategy to maximise returns from its mineral wealth by keeping more of the value chain within Zimbabwe.
