Zimbabwe bans exports of all raw minerals
The ban takes immediate effect, covers all raw minerals already in transit and will remain in place until further notice, the ministry said.
Engineering vehicles are seen at an open cast mine operated by Zhong Jian Investments, a Chinese coal mining company, in Hwange, Matebeleland North Province, Zimbabwe, on June 13, 2022. (AFP)
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HARARE — Zimbabwe has frozen exports of raw minerals and lithium concentrate, the mines ministry said on Wednesday, tightening control over materials key to clean‑energy technologies and defence industries.
The ban takes immediate effect, covers all raw minerals already in transit and will remain in place until further notice, the ministry said.
"Government expects cooperation of the mining industry on this measure, which has been taken in the national interest," Minister of Mines Polite Kambamura said in a statement.
Securing access to rare earths and other strategic minerals has become a global priority, given their role in smartphones, green energy systems, military equipment and many other goods.
This has prompted many producing nations to tighten controls and plug leaks in their supply chains.
Zimbabwe "will be engaging the industry in the near future on new expectations and way forward," said Kambamura.
"Government remains committed to ensuring transparency, in-country value addition and beneficiation, compliance, and accountability in the exportation of Zimbabwe's mineral resources."
The export ban on lithium concentrates had originally been scheduled to start in January 2027, a deadline the government hoped would push mining companies to begin processing and refining the mineral locally.
The southern African nation holds the continent's largest lithium reserves and ships much of its production to China for further processing into battery‑grade materials.
Mining is Zimbabwe's second‑largest contributor to the country's GDP, accounting for 14.3 percent of output after manufacturing, according to World Bank data.