Online Reporter
Trust Freddy-Herald Correspondent
THE Government is targeting a total of US$7 billion in mineral export receipts this year, while seeking to surpass its 50-tonne national gold delivery benchmark, backed by tight monitoring policies designed to plug leakages and maximise resource returns.
The ambitious multi-billion-dollar target follows an exceptional performance by the sector in 2025, which laid a robust foundation for current growth.
Official data from the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe and Fidelity Gold Refinery (FGR) shows that mineral export receipts, excluding gold and silver, surged 14 percent to hit US$3,4 billion in 2025, up from US$2,9 billion the prior year, driven primarily by strong volumes in Platinum Group Metals (PGMs) and lithium.
Concurrently, national gold deliveries shattered historical records last year, climbing 28 percent to achieve an unprecedented 46,7 tonnes.
This surpassed the Government’s initial 40-tonne projections and injected US$2,6 billion into the economy, with artisanal and small-scale miners anchoring the output by delivering 34.9 tonnes (75 percent) of the total haul.
Speaking on the sidelines of a Ministerial staff meeting in Harare yesterday, Mines and Mining Development Minister Dr Polite Kambamura confirmed that the sector has already generated at least US$2 billion so far this year and remains firmly on a growth trajectory.
“Definitely, we are on course and our target is 50 tonnes, but we are expecting to surpass that target,” Minister Kambamura said.
“I think you have noticed some new policies that we have come up with to make sure that every gramme, every ounce of gold, is delivered to Government.”
He warned side-marketers that law enforcement and regulatory bodies will be maintaining strict oversight on all mining operations to ensure maximum compliance.
“The Ministry will be looking at those deliveries with an eagle eye to see that every miner who is digging up a hole has some meaningful returns to the Government,” Minister Kambamura said.
He said the positive export projections are heavily anchored by firming world market prices for gold and PGMs, alongside rapid value-addition transitions in the lithium sub-sector.
Following a high-level meeting with executives from Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe (PLZ) last week, Minister Kambamura revealed that the firm’s newly established plant at Arcadia in Goromonzi is now positioning to upgrade its output to higher-value products.
“The coming in of lithium prospects . . . with lithium sulphate products is actually a feather in our cap in terms of improvement of revenue,” Minister Kambamura said.
