Zimbabwe bans exports of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates, cites malpractices
- Says reviewing export systems to plug leakages
- Africa’s top lithium producer wants more local processing
- Exported 1.1 mln metric tons of lithium concentrates in 2025
HARARE, Feb 25 (Reuters) – Zimbabwe has suspended exports of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates with immediate effect, its mines ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, after the government alleged malpractices and leakages.
The ministry said the ban on exports would remain in place until further notice and applied to all minerals currently in transit.
The statement said,
Government expects cooperation of the mining industry on this measure which has been taken in the national interest,
It added,
Government remains committed to … in-country value addition and beneficiation, compliance, and accountability in the exportation of Zimbabwe’s mineral resources,
In a letter seen by Reuters on Wednesday and addressed to Zimbabwe’s Chamber of Mines, which represents major mining companies, the mines ministry said it would realign export processes due to concern about “continued malpractices during the exportation of minerals”.
The ministry wrote on February 17, said:
This review is part of a broader effort to curb leakages and enhance efficiency within our systems,
Zimbabwe’s ban on lithium concentrates was previously expected to come into effect in 2027 as part of a push for more local processing.
Africa’s top producer of the battery mineral exported 1.128 million metric tons of lithium-bearing spodumene concentrate in the year ended December 2025, up 11% from the year before.
The southern African country has rapidly expanded spodumene output in recent years following significant investment by Chinese mining firms including Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt (603799.SS),, Sinomine (002738.SZ), Chengxin Lithium Group (002240.SZ), and Yahua (002497.SZ).
Most of the concentrate is exported to China for further processing into battery-grade materials, but Zimbabwe has been pressing the miners to process more of the minerals in the country as it seeks greater benefits from the global shift to cleaner sources of energy.
Huayou recently built a $400 million plant to further process lithium concentrates into lithium sulphate, an intermediate product which can be refined into a battery-grade material such as lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate.
Sinomine has also announced plans to build a $500 million lithium sulphate plant at its Bikita mine in Zimbabwe.
Reporting by Chris Muronzi and Nelson Banya; Writing by Anathi Madubela; Editing by Alexander Winning
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Zimbabwe bans exports of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates, cites malpractices, source
