The
Southern
African
country
of
Zimbabwe,
since
banning
the
export
of
raw
lithium
concentrates
and
all
raw
or
unbeneficiated
minerals,
has
received
up
to
$1
billion
in
investments
for
processing
plants.
A
clear
example
of
this
was
when
Sichuan
Yahua
Industrial
Group
Co.
announced
the
construction
of
a
lithium
plant
in
Zimbabwe,
the
third
such
project
in
the
country.
Yahua,
which
operates
the
Kamativi
lithium
mine
in
a
joint
venture
with
Zimbabwe,
announced
on
a
Shenzhen
Exchange
platform
that
it
has
commenced
construction
on
a
plant
to
produce
lithium
sulfate.
Developments
since
the
lithium
ban
in
Zimbabwe
In
February,
reports
showed
that
Zimbabwe
planned
to
construct
its
first
lithium
plant,
spearheaded
by
the
largest
lithium
producer
in
Zimbabwe,
Prospect
Lithium
Zimbabwe
(PLZ),
and
financed
by
Zhejiang
Huayou
Cobalt
Co,
a
Chinese
high-tech
enterprise.
At
the
time
of
the
announcement,
the
plant
had
already
reached
its
equipment
commissioning
phase.
By
April,
Zimbabwe
had
exported
its
first
shipment
of
lithium
sulphate
from
the
Arcadia
mine
near
Harare,
marking
a
significant
step
in
the
country’s
move
into
higher-value
lithium
processing.
The
inaugural
consignment
came
from
the
Arcadia
lithium
mine
near
Harare,
owned
by
Prospect
Lithium
Zimbabwe,
a
unit
of
China’s
Zhejiang
Huayou
Cobalt.
Additionally,
Zimbabwe’s
mineral
sector
delivered
a
strong
first-quarter
performance,
with
total
mineral
sales
coming close
to
the
$1
billion
mark as
lithium
and
Platinum
Group
Metals
(PGMs)
surged
following
the
government’s
export
ban
on
unbeneficiated
minerals.
According
to
data
from
the
Minerals
Marketing
Corporation
of
Zimbabwe
(MMCZ),
total
mineral
sales
reached
1,288,761
tonnes
valued
at
$983.85
million
in
the
first
quarter
of
2026.
This
represents
a
27%
increase
in
volume
and
a
79%
jump
in
value
compared
to
the
same
period
last
year.
Lithium
emerged
as
one
of
the
top
performers,
boosted
by
increased
worldwide
demand
for
battery
materials.
Sales
totalled
240,826
tonnes
worth
$178.64
million,
representing
a
2%
rise
in
volume
and
a
106%
increase
in
value
year
over
year.
China’s
investment
in
Zimbabwe’s
lithium
According
to
a
Ministry
of
Mines
and
Mining
Development
position
document
seen
by The
Independent,
China-based
Huayou’s
Prospect
Lithium
Zimbabwe
and
Sinomine’s
Bikita
Minerals
have
committed
approximately
US$700
million
and
US$500
million,
respectively,
toward
the
establishment
of
lithium
sulphate
processing
facilities.
The
report
indicates
that
these
capital
commitments
are
part
of
broader
obligations
undertaken
by
six
of
Zimbabwe’s
primary
lithium
producers
to
develop
beneficiation
infrastructure.
These
facilities
are
scheduled
for
completion
before
January
2027,
the
date
by
which
the
government
intends
to
implement
a
comprehensive
prohibition
on
the
export
of
lithium
concentrate.
“The
major
investors
—
in
particular
our
Chinese
partners,
who
dominate
the
lithium
sub-sector
—
have
responded
by
committing
very
substantial
capital
to
in-country
processing,”
the
paper
reads.
“Huayou
(Prospect
Lithium
Zimbabwe)
has
invested
approximately
US$400
million
in
the
Arcadia
lithium
sulphate
plant,
in
addition
to
an
earlier
concentrator
investment
of
around
US$300
million.
Sinomine
(Bikita
Minerals)
has
built
a
lithium
sulphate
plant
valued
at
approximately
US$500
million,
with
a
fresh
capital-raising
programme
announced
in
May
2026
to
fund
this
and
related
projects.”
The
paper
adds,
“Taken
together,
this
represents
close
to
US$1
billion
in
domestic
lithium-processing
infrastructure,”
the
paper
says.
Miners
did,
understandably,
raise
legitimate
concerns
in
the
early
stages
around
the
high
capital
cost
of
processing
plants,
electricity
supply,
water
requirements,
and
broader
infrastructure
constraints,
and
some
requested
more
time
before
the
introduction
of
the
concentrate
export
levy.
Government
engaged
constructively on
these
matters,
but
maintained
the
strategic
line
through
export
controls,
producer-specific
quotas,
fiscal
measures,
and,
ultimately,
a
binding
legal
compliance
regime.
The
investment
now
on
the
ground
is
proof
that
the
policy
is
working.”
Zimbabwe
cited
government
malpractice
and
leakages
as
the
rationale
for
the
audacious
decision
to
ban
the
export
of
lithium
concentrates,
and
so
far,
the
decision
has
yielded
very
encouraging
results.