French media marvel: Chinese enterprises help Zimbabwe become the first African country to export lithium sulfate
As Africa's largest lithium producer, Zimbabwe has long sought to capture greater value in the lithium industry, as current processing activities are still predominantly carried out outside the African continent. With intensifying global competition for battery metals, Zimbabwe has taken a crucial step in this strategic effort. According to *The Forum* on Thursday, Chinese company Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt announced this week that it has shipped its first batch of lithium sulfate from its operational base in Zimbabwe. This marks Zimbabwe as the first country on the African continent to sell this intermediate product on the international market.
Lithium sulfate can be further processed into lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide—both essential compounds for manufacturing electric vehicle batteries.
The report states that, based on available information, this shipment originated from a factory completed by the company last October, with an annual capacity of 50,000 tons of lithium sulfate. The exact volume of this initial shipment has not yet been disclosed.
Zimbabwe-based subsidiary Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe posted on its X (formerly Twitter) account: "This milestone underscores Zimbabwe’s rising status as a key player in the global lithium value chain and highlights our progress in local processing." The company views this development as "evidence of Africa’s growing role in the global energy transition."
From Production to Processing
Just weeks before this announcement, Zimbabwean authorities had suspended exports of lithium spodumene, citing irregularities in the export process. Early this month, Reuters reported that the country plans to implement export quotas and introduce new local processing requirements to regulate the resumption of export activities.
According to multiple reliable sources, the Zimbabwean government requires companies to submit written commitments and clear timelines to ensure the establishment of lithium sulfate production lines by January 1, 2027. Until then, companies must continue paying a 10% export tax. The government intends to reinstate the ban on lithium spodumene exports after this deadline.
As Africa’s largest lithium producer and China’s second-largest supplier, Zimbabwe aims to capture more revenue from this sector. In 2025, the country’s lithium spodumene concentrate exports increased nearly 12%, rising from 1.01 million tons the previous year to 1.13 million tons. However, due to falling prices, export revenues slightly declined: these exports generated $513.8 million, down from $514.5 million the prior year.
Challenges and Prospects
In this context, this initial shipment represents a significant advancement for Harare’s government, as several other operators are also developing similar projects. Chinese firms Sinomine Resources and Sichuan Yahua are respectively accelerating the construction of lithium sulfate production units at the Bikita and Kamativi mining sites.
For Zimbabwe, the core challenge lies in whether this momentum can be translated into tangible economic benefits. While lithium sulfate, as an intermediate product, carries higher value than raw concentrate, it still falls short of the final products used directly in battery manufacturing.
The report concludes with lingering questions: will the development of this niche industry significantly boost national income, or is it merely a transitional phase toward higher-level processing? Future developments will reveal the true impact of this strategy.
Source: rfi
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1863989295231043/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author(s) alone.