Zimbabwe is intensifying its push to move beyond the export of raw minerals, with government signalling a stronger focus on local processing and value addition as part of efforts to maximise economic returns from the country’s vast mineral wealth.
Speaking at the Chamber of Mines Annual Mining Conference in Victoria Falls, Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura said the country’s long-term mining strategy is increasingly centred on beneficiation, arguing that exporting mineral concentrates deprives Zimbabwe of industrial growth, jobs and infrastructure development opportunities.
The policy direction comes as resource-rich African countries increasingly seek to capture more value from their minerals amid rising global demand for battery metals, platinum group metals and critical minerals needed for the energy transition.
Zimbabwe has already taken steps to restrict the export of raw lithium concentrates and is encouraging investment in downstream processing facilities capable of producing higher-value products such as lithium sulphate and lithium carbonate.
Kambamura said the recent export of battery-grade lithium sulphate by Prosperity Lithium Zimbabwe demonstrated that local beneficiation is commercially achievable when supported by clear policy direction and investor commitment.
The minister noted that while Zimbabwe exported more than one million tonnes of spodumene concentrate in 2025, future growth must increasingly be driven by value-added mineral products rather than raw exports.
The beneficiation agenda extends beyond lithium. Zimbabwe hosts the world’s second-largest platinum group metals reserves after South Africa’s Bushveld Complex and significant chrome resources, creating opportunities for refining, ferrochrome production, stainless steel manufacturing and broader industrial development.
Across Africa, governments are increasingly adopting similar policies. Guinea recently banned exports of unrefined gold, while Indonesia’s restrictions on raw nickel exports have helped attract billions of dollars in downstream processing investments and battery manufacturing projects.
For Zimbabwe, the challenge now lies in ensuring that beneficiation policies are supported by reliable electricity supplies, transport infrastructure, financing and technological capabilities. Industry players have repeatedly warned that high operating costs and power constraints remain significant obstacles to large-scale mineral processing investments.
Despite these challenges, government maintains that beneficiation remains central to its vision of transforming mining from a predominantly extractive industry into a catalyst for industrialisation, export growth and long-term economic development.
