Itai Ndongwe
HARARE – The Zimbabwean government says the export of lithium concentrate will be prohibited starting January 2027, as this move aims to boost local beneficiation and maximize the value of the mineral resources.
Following the 2022 ban on raw lithium ore exports, the country has since only permitted the export of lithium concentrates, which are produced by new processing facilities like Prospect Lithium and Bikita Minerals. This initiative aims to attract further investment in local processing capabilities.
The upcoming stage of this policy will impose stricter regulations, permitting the export of only lithium sulphates, a more refined product. This initiative aims to significantly boost the value addition of lithium within Zimbabwe.
Speaking during the post-cabinet briefing, the Minister of Mines and Mining developments, Winston Chitando said that, “With effect from January 2027 the export of lithium concentrate will no longer be allowed.”
Major players in the sector, including Bikita Minerals and Arcadia Lithium, are already taking steps to establish lithium sulphate value addition facilities in the country. These facilities will enable the local beneficiation of lithium ores, aligning with the government’s vision to move up the value chain and generate more revenue from its mineral resources.
Zimbabwe’s lithium sector needs a significant US$700 million investment across various projects to fund the construction of lithium sulfate beneficiation facilities between 2025 and 2026. This push for higher-value processing is expected to boost annual production of lithium sulfate to 160,000 tonnes (tpa) by 2026-2027, according to Xuedong Gong, Chairman of the Lithium Producers Committee and Managing Director of Bikita Minerals.
Currently, Bikita Minerals is expanding into midstream processing, while Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe focuses on spodumene and petalite, both holding substantial export capacity. Together, these two companies have a combined production capacity of 600,000 tpa. Rapid growth is also being seen from new players like Sabi Star and Kamativi, each contributing 300,000 tpa.
Looking ahead, Sandawana and Bravura are constructing new concentrator plants, with Bravura projected to begin production this month.
