Online Reporter
Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
GOVERNMENT is in the process of crafting a policy for the exploration and exploitation of rare earth minerals that the country is endowed with, Mines and Mining Development Deputy Minister, Caleb Makwiranzou, has said.
“We are actually working on that policy. Two weeks ago, we were in Nyanga trying to come up with that policy,” he told the National Assembly’s Question and Answer Session.
“We are also looking into going into joint ventures with other countries that are able to explore those minerals.”
The Deputy Minister said there are companies that are already in operation, especially those in lithium mining, that could inadvertently be mining rare earth minerals.
“We are also engaging countries that are able to delineate between minerals like lithium with the rare earth minerals,” Deputy Minister Makwiranzou added.
Rare earth minerals have grown in importance in recent years, especially in the production of high-tech industries, electric vehicles, domestic appliances and military equipment among others.
Zimbabwe has been confirmed to sit on significant elements that make up the rare minerals.
Some of the rare earth minerals are cerium (Ce), dysprosium (Dy), erbium (Er), europium (Eu), gadolinium (Gd), holmium (Ho), lanthanum (La), lutetium (Lu), neodymium (Nd), praseodymium (Pr), promethium (Pm), samarium (Sm), scandium (Sc), terbium (Tb), thulium (Tm), ytterbium (Yb), and yttrium (Y).
