Business Reporter
Zimbabwe is primed to extract substantial benefits from its vast lithium resources amid a bullish short-to-medium-term price outlook, supported by strong investment inflows and an aggressive policy shift towards local beneficiation.
The southern African nation holds the largest lithium reserves in Africa and ranks between 5th and 7th globally for its hard-rock pegmatite lithium deposits.
Driven by massive investments, primarily from Chinese firms, the country is positioned to remain Africa’s largest lithium producer through 2030, with output projected to reach 160 000 tonnes.
Zimbabwe accounted for roughly 9,6 percent to 9,7 percent of global lithium production in 2025, which demonstrates the country’s strategic position to benefit from any global demand price upswing.
Globally, countries are pushing for clean energy and transitioning away from fossil fuels under the legally binding framework of the Paris Agreement, which operates under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), hence the forecast strong lithium demand.
Speaking in an interview following a media tour at Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe last week, Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) marketing manager, Mr Gumisai Nenzou, said that despite recent global market volatility, fundamental supply and demand mechanics support a firm pricing environment going forward.
