Online Reporter
Martin Kadzere
Zimbabwe is aggressively ramping up its midstream chemical refining infrastructure, a development that will nearly triple domestic production of lithium sulphate by 2030.
According to data from the Zimbabwe Lithium Association, the output of high-value lithium sulphate is projected to climb steadily from 130 000 tonnes in 2026 to 169 000 tonnes in 2027, then surge to 264 000 tonnes in 2028, 312 000 tonnes in 2029 and 344 000 tonnes by 2030.
The processing surge comes as primary extraction figures change in tandem with Government beneficiation deadlines, with spodumene ore production expected to drop from 963 049.58 tonnes in 2026 to 467 000 tonnes in 2027.
Similarly, early-stage spodumene concentrate output is forecast to decrease from 1 221 313 tonnes in 2026 to 636 090 tonnes in 2027 as operations prioritise internal chemical processing over raw exports.
The aggressive scaling builds directly on a historic milestone achieved in early 2026, when Zimbabwe officially entered the midstream market, dispatching Africa’s first-ever export consignment of lithium sulphate from the US$400 million Prospect Zimbabwe facility in Goromonzi.
