Key Minerals in Africa: Chinese Companies Continuously Establish Refineries in Zimbabwe: Zimbabwe Drafts Post-Export Ban Lithium Policy, Including Quotas and Local Refining
¬ Zimbabwe Plans to Implement Lithium Export Quotas and Local Processing Requirements
¬ Miners Must Meet Standards and Commit to Building Processing Plants
¬ The Policy Aims to Enhance Lithium's Value-Added Potential Amid Global Lithium Supply Overcapacity
After suspending lithium concentrate exports for over a month, Zimbabwe is preparing to normalize trade. According to Reuters on Wednesday, April 8, Harare plans to introduce export quotas and require miners to commit to local processing of lithium—the largest lithium producer in Africa.
Reuters cited a letter from the government to the Mining Chamber earlier this month, outlining several conditions that lithium producers operating in Zimbabwe must comply with. Companies must disclose their annual financial statements and adhere to labor, safety, and environmental standards. Each operator will also receive an approved quota for lithium concentrate exports.
Before the concentrate export ban takes effect in January 2027, operators will be required to formally sign written commitments, including detailed timetables for constructing lithium sulfate plants. During the interim period—after the current export ban is lifted but before the new ban comes into force—a 10% export tax will remain in effect.
Strengthening Control Over Strategic Markets
Through these measures, Zimbabwe aims to strengthen its control over critical strategic resources essential for electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems. This move comes amid global lithium oversupply, primarily driven by downward price pressure from China since 2023. Emphasis on local processing reflects Zimbabwe’s strategic shift toward advancing up the value chain—from a raw mineral exporter to a supplier of high-value products such as lithium sulfate.
This initiative mirrors broader regional trends. In 2025, the Democratic Republic of the Congo implemented similar measures regarding cobalt—another key mineral, accounting for nearly 70% of global supply. Faced with oversupply and falling prices, Congolese authorities first imposed an export ban, then lifted it while introducing a quota system to regulate export volumes and redirect part of the output toward local processing. Guinea, the world’s leading bauxite exporter, has also adopted comparable measures, attempting to support weak prices by restricting exports.
It remains unclear how well Zimbabwe’s proposed reform package—particularly its export quota system—will be received by producers. However, progress has already been made in local processing. China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt is preparing to commission a lithium sulfate plant at the Arcadia mine site, while CNMC Resources and Sichuan Yahua Industrial have also announced plans to build their own facilities.
Lithium is one of Zimbabwe’s major mineral export products, alongside other key exports such as platinum group metals, gold, and diamonds. In 2025, the sector generated $571 million in export revenue. Mining accounts for about 80% of the country’s total exports and 19% of government fiscal income.
Source: ecofinagency
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1862013465216009/
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