Harare, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe’s lithium industry is dominated by a handful of large-scale mining projects, most of them backed by Chinese investment. Major producers include Bikita Minerals in Masvingo Province, Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe’s Arcadia Mine near Harare, Kamativi Lithium Mine in Matabeleland North, Sabi Star Lithium Mine in Buhera, Sandawana Mine in Mberengwa and Gwanda Lithium Mine in Matabeleland South.
Together, these projects have helped make Zimbabwe one of Africa’s leading lithium producers and an increasingly important supplier of battery minerals used in electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies.
The country’s push to move beyond exporting raw minerals gained momentum in April when Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe (PLZ) announced its first export of lithium sulphate, a higher-value processed product. The material is produced at the company’s recently commissioned $400m processing facility at Arcadia Mine near Harare.
In a post on X on April 27, PLZ said: “History has been made. Arcadia Technology Zimbabwe has successfully dispatched its first export of lithium sulphate, a landmark achievement for both the company, the country and the continent.”
PLZ is wholly owned by Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, a major Chinese battery minerals company.
Al Jazeera contacted PLZ communications manager Patience Mushore by phone and later sent written questions. While initially indicating responses would be provided, Mushore later declined to comment, saying the company receives numerous media inquiries and referring Al Jazeera to previously published statements.
Policy push
Bikita Minerals says it is advancing plans to move further up the lithium value chain. In a statement seen by Al Jazeera, the company said it is aligning its operations with Zimbabwe’s beneficiation strategy through a multimillion-dollar investment programme aimed at producing lithium precursor chemicals rather than exporting concentrate.
The company said it has established in-house assay laboratories for real-time mineral testing, quality control and export compliance.
“Bikita Minerals is implementing a $400m investment programme to move from exporting lithium concentrate to developing lithium precursor chemicals,” the company said.
According to the company, the first phase of its lithium sulphate project is expected to be commissioned in the second quarter of 2027 with an annual production capacity of 60,000 tonnes.
Meanwhile, Mutapa Energy Minerals, a subsidiary of the state-owned Mutapa Investment Fund, says it is preparing to develop a lithium concentrate processing plant at Sandawana Lithium Mine in partnership with Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and Tsingshan Holding Group.
The developments come as Zimbabwe seeks to maximise returns from its mineral wealth through domestic processing and industrialisation.
Export gains
According to data released by the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), mineral sales reached $983.85m during the first quarter of 2026, while export volumes rose 27 percent and export values increased 79 percent following the government’s ban on exports of unprocessed minerals.
Lithium export earnings rose from $84.19m in the first quarter of 2025 to $178.64m during the same period this year, according to MMCZ figures.
Speaking to state media, Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura said the sector had already generated at least $2bn this year and remained on a strong growth trajectory.
According to reports of his remarks, Kambamura attributed the performance to firm global prices for gold and platinum group metals as well as growing investment in lithium processing. He cited PLZ’s Arcadia operation as an example of Zimbabwe’s efforts to move into higher-value lithium sulphate production.
Al Jazeera reached out to Kambamura for comment, making repeated attempts through phone calls, text messages and visits to his offices. However, all efforts to secure a response on the government’s lithium policy and whether sanctions are affecting the mining sector were unsuccessful.
According to his personal assistant, the minister spent the week at Senate House, limiting his availability to respond to media inquiries.
But analysts warn that processing minerals locally will not automatically translate into broad-based economic development.
Rashweat Mukundu, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera that Zimbabwe’s push to process more lithium domestically was a positive step but would require sustained investment in infrastructure, technology and industrial capacity.
“Revenues from processed lithium are increasing, but the policy should be guided by a long-term strategy rather than a knee-jerk political reaction,” he said.
“Without sufficient investment and investor alignment, Zimbabwe risks remaining stuck with unprocessed minerals.”
Mukundu said China remains Zimbabwe’s dominant investor and export market in the lithium sector but warned against overreliance on a single partner.
“China remains the main market and i…
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