Sundaymail Editor
Business Reporter
THE Government will stop the export of lithium concentrates once the country establishes requisite facilities for the value addition of the precious mineral, according to Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando.
Minister Chitando hinted at the long-term plan in an interview on the sidelines of the recently held African Mining Indaba in Cape Town, South Africa.
The ministry’s Permanent Secretary, Mr Pfungwa Kunaka, also weighed in on the matter at the meeting, stressing that the decision would only be implemented when the country established sufficient capacity to process and value-add the mineral.
He said the ultimate goal was to process lithium into higher-value products, such as batteries and solar panels, which would boost the country’s economy and create jobs.
Lithium, given its ability to create huge power reservoirs, is considered the mineral of the future due to its potential to lead an energy revolution in the wake of electric vehicles and other products requiring reliable power sources.
According to Minister Chitando, the Government had asked the lithium players to come together and create a joint strategy for value addition to the final product.
As such, the Government signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with one of the top three players in lithium production to build the Mapinga Mines-to-Energy Park just outside Harare.
According to the agreement, the players will process and value-add lithium beyond the concentrate stage and into final products like solar panels and lithium batteries.
He said once the Mapinga Mines-to-Energy Park is up and running, value-adding beyond the lithium concentrate stage, the country would then stop the export of lithium concentrates.
All lithium producers will be obliged to supply raw lithium and concentrates to the park for value addition.
Zimbabwe is one of the top lithium producers in the world, with several major companies operating in the country.
The Government wants to go beyond the export of lithium concentrate and establish a vibrant lithium industry that processes and manufactures value-added products.
The proposed stoppage of lithium concentrate exports is part of a broader strategy to promote beneficiation of Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth, thereby boost industrialisation
The Government aims to increase the value of the country’s lithium production by focusing on value chains and encouraging investment in the sector.
The minister said Zimbabwe was presently processing lithium to concentrate stage, but the long-term plan was “value-add up to the manufacture of lithium batteries and solar panels”.
“So, we have asked the lithium players to come together with a joint strategy for value addition to the final product, which at this stage are the solar panels and the lithium batteries.
“We do have one player with whom the Government signed an MOU with, for what we call Mapinga Mines-to-Energy Park. It is a huge park just outside Harare, and this player is in the top three in terms of lithium production.
“They are going to process and value-add lithium beyond the concentrate stage. It is an agreement which has been signed by the Government.
“Once this entity is up and running, value-adding beyond the concentrate stage, we will ban the export of concentrates, beyond a certain date which we are going to determine; there will be no more exports of concentrates,” said Minister Chitando.
He, however, indicated that the deal was not exclusive and invited other players interested in establishing value-addition hubs.
“. . . to other lithium players, we are saying this agreement we have signed is not exclusive. Those players who have the appetite and the technical and financial capacity can also come up with their own investment plans.
“The message has gone out to say, look, we would want to see lithium being value-added in the country,” he said.
Commenting on the same issue, Mr Kunaka said the Government had demonstrated its unwavering commitment to value addition and beneficiation, making it clear that simply processing lithium to concentrate stage is insufficient.
Instead, the focus is on further processing and transforming lithium into higher-value products, thereby maximising its economic benefits.
“Government has made it clear the trajectory is value addition and beneficiation, and that for lithium processing to concentrate only is not enough. I am sure the point made was that we will get to the stage where the export of concentrate is completely banned,” said Mr Kunaka.
Lithium has become the world’s most sought-after mineral, and Zimbabwe is endowed with extensive deposits of the mineral, which has seen sustained growth in investor interest in the country.
As part of its commitment to value-add its lithium, the Government banned the export of lithium-bearing ores or unbeneficiated lithium in 2022.
In support of the policy, Finance, Economic Development and Investment Promotion Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube in 2023 dangled US$20 million for a partnership with investors willing to venture into lithium battery manufacturing in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe boasts an abundance of hard rock lithium, a critical input in clean energy technologies, which has attracted significant investment from Chinese conglomerates.
In recent years, Chinese companies, among them Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Sinomine Resource Group and Chengxin Lithium Group, have acquired lithium mines in Zimbabwe.
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