Zimbabwe’s Lithium Bet Begins to Pay Off

FILE PHOTO: Workers load lithium concentrate at Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe mine in Goromonzi, Zimbabwe, January 9, 2024. REUTERS/Philimon Bulawayo/File Photo

Zimbabwe’s ban on raw lithium exports, introduced in 2022, is beginning to yield tangible results. After several years of restrictions and government pressure, Chinese companies are gradually aligning with Zimbabwe’s requirements and priorities, contributing to a rapid transformation of the country’s lithium industry.

This week, China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, which inaugurated Zimbabwe’s first lithium sulfate production plant in October 2025, exported its first batch of lithium sulfate.

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by Christian Geraud Neema Byamungu

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