Zimbabwe, Africa’s largest lithium producer with reserves among the world’s highest, has announced an immediate and indefinite ban on all exports of raw ore and lithium concentrate. The ban, declared by the country’s Ministry of Mines on Wednesday, February 26, takes effect ten months ahead of the previously scheduled January 2027 deadline. Zimbabwe had already banned raw ore exports in 2022, and the new measure now extends that restriction to lithium concentrate as well.
The policy reflects a broader ambition to refine lithium domestically, increase the mineral’s added value, generate greater government revenue, and create local jobs. This approach is gaining traction across Africa, with numerous countries at February’s Mining Indaba conference in Cape Town expressing a desire to capture more economic benefit from their mineral wealth, which is critical to the global energy transition.
Several Chinese-backed companies are already responding. Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe, majority-owned by China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, is investing $400 million to build a lithium refinery expected to begin production within weeks, making it Africa’s first facility producing lithium sulfate. Zimbabwe’s state-backed Mutapa Energy Minerals plans to begin construction of a similar plant by mid-June, backed by $270 million in Chinese funding, with an annual capacity to process 600,000 tonnes of raw ore. Meanwhile, Sinomine Resources Group, owner of Zimbabwe’s largest lithium mine, Bikita Minerals, is conducting feasibility studies for a $500 million lithium sulfate plant it hopes to build in phases starting December.
Despite the optimism, critics argue the government is moving too slowly and lacks adequate oversight of Chinese-controlled mines, making it difficult to accurately track export volumes. Some economists urge Zimbabwe to build a complete value chain from mine to finished product and to follow the examples of Norway, Botswana, and Kuwait in implementing strategic, forward-looking resource policies.
Source: Radio France International, February 26, 2026
https://rfi.my/CTiE