Prosper Ndlovu recently in WINDHOEK, Namibia
ZIMBABWE’S drive to promote mineral beneficiation, local value addition and the participation of domestic businesses in the mining value chain is attracting interest from Namibia, with officials citing Harare’s policy approach as a model from which they can draw lessons.
The issue came under the spotlight during a business forum hosted by ZimTrade in Windhoek as part of an outward trade mission bringing together Zimbabwean and Namibian businesses to explore trade, investment and partnership opportunities.
Speaking during a plenary session following a presentation on Namibia’s trade and investment environment, opportunities for Zimbabwean companies and the general requirements for doing business, Peter Shivute, a board executive responsible for market access and export promotion at the Namibia Investment Promotion and Development Board, said Namibia was closely following Zimbabwe’s efforts to ensure that more value is retained from its mineral resources.
“Namibia needs to learn from Zimbabwe. I have been stressing that. Namibia needs to learn from Zimbabwe. The first country in Africa to say ‘We are going to beneficiate, particularly our lithium,’ which is part of the battery value chain driving the global adoption of electric vehicles, is Zimbabwe,” he said.
Mr Shivute said Zimbabwe’s policy direction had influenced Namibia’s own approach to mineral beneficiation, particularly in the lithium sector, as African countries increasingly seek to move beyond exporting raw materials.
“Both from a legislative and a policy perspective, the decision to put a moratorium on the export of raw lithium from Namibia was because of Zimbabwe. We are saying we need to leverage that experience and technology,” he said.
Zimbabwe’s approach to supporting local businesses and increasing domestic participation in economic activities linked to natural resources offered lessons for countries seeking to capture a greater share of the value generated by their mineral wealth.
“A lot of the support businesses within the indigenisation framework in Zimbabwe are being leveraged as we speak, to be able to keep a lot more value on the land,” Mr Shivute said.
His remarks underscore the growing regional significance of Zimbabwe’s beneficiation agenda, which seeks to ensure that mineral wealth generates opportunities beyond extraction and exports, including industrial development, employment, skills transfer and business growth.
