By Melisa Chikomo
The Government is developing a critical minerals and rare earth minerals policy aimed at regulating the exploitation, beneficiation and marketing of strategic minerals amid growing global demand, Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura has said.
Speaking in Parliament, Kambamura said the policy framework will guide how rare earth and other critical minerals are extracted, processed and marketed to ensure Zimbabwe derives maximum value from its natural resources.
He said the proposed policy is still under development but government has already introduced interim measures to tighten oversight of mineral exports and prevent the loss of valuable resources.
“We are currently developing a critical mineral and rare earth mineral policy or mineral development strategy, which will speak to how those minerals will be developed, how they will be extracted, how they will be beneficiated and how they will be marketed,” Kambamura said.
The minister added that authorities are determined to ensure the country benefits from the global scramble for critical minerals used in advanced technologies and energy transition industries.
As part of the interim measures, government has already banned the export of raw minerals and lithium concentrates, citing concerns that some mining companies were not fully declaring the composition of their export consignments.
Speaking to journalists in Zvishavane this week, Vice President Constantino Chiwenga has reaffirmed Government’s determination to stop the export of raw minerals, saying Zimbabwe must fully beneficiate its natural resources to unlock economic growth, skills development and industrialisation.
The Vice President made the remarks after touring the Zheli lithium processing plant in Zvishavane, where he met company officials and inspected operations at the facility.
the Vice President said Zimbabwe’s mineral resources must be processed locally rather than exported in raw or semi-processed form.
He said the country’s mining sector should focus on value addition from extraction through to the production of finished products.
According to the Vice President, minerals are finite resources that must be used strategically to maximise national benefit.
“This is an extraction industry. Once you extract the mineral from the ground, it will not grow,” he said.
“So it must be value-added right up to where it produces the right products.”
Chiwenga said the Government’s ban on exporting raw minerals is part of a broader strategy to ensure Zimbabwe derives full economic value from its resources.
Kambamura said government will now intensify monitoring of mineral exports by scrutinising every consignment leaving the country.
“Going forward, Government will be checking every export consignment to see the mineral composition,” he said.
He also urged mining companies to voluntarily declare the composition of their mineral deposits and export consignments in order to promote transparency in the sector.
The minister was responding to a question from Clemence Chiduwa, who had asked what measures government is taking to ensure rare earth minerals are not exported under the guise of principal minerals such as lithium.
Zimbabwe has some of the world’s most sought-after minerals, including lithium, platinum and several rare earth elements that are essential in the production of electronics, batteries and renewable energy technologies.
Authorities say the new policy will help strengthen oversight of these resources while promoting local value addition and beneficiation in line with government’s broader mineral development strategy.
