Africa’s top lithium producer faces refinery bottleneck as miners seek more time before export ban
Source: Business Insider Africa
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Nigeria must consider where to do more of this; as against our past failure at local refineries. The lame hands of government must keep off… lest we get the likes of failed NNPC refineries and Ajaokuta steel.
Lithium miners in Zimbabwe are seeking more time to build processing facilities before a planned ban on lithium concentrate exports takes effect, highlighting the challenges facing the country’s push to move up the global battery minerals value chain.
Industry executives are asking the government to extend the January 2027 deadline to around mid-2027, arguing that ongoing projects need additional time to reach completion, according to comments made by industry representatives at a mining conference in Victoria Falls.
Reuters reported that the appeal was made by the country’s Lithium Producers’ Association, whose members are building lithium sulphate plants required under Zimbabwe’s beneficiation strategy.
The request comes as Zimbabwe intensifies efforts to ensure more of the value from its vast lithium resources remains within the country rather than being captured overseas.
Zimbabwe, Africa’s largest lithium producer, has spent the past four years tightening restrictions on exports of unprocessed lithium.
The southern African nation has become a critical supplier to the global electric vehicle and energy storage industries.
Chinese companies including Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Sinomine, Yahua Group, Chengxin Lithium Group and Tsingshan have invested billions of dollars in Zimbabwe’s lithium sector, helping transform the country into one of the world’s fastest-growing sources of battery minerals. But the progress toward local processing has been slower than policymakers hoped.
According to industry executives, only one lithium sulphate facility, owned by China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, is currently operational.
Other major projects remain under construction or feasibility assessment, including facilities linked to Sinomine’s Bikita Minerals operation, Yahua’s Kamativi project and the state-owned Sandawana mine.
Lithium sulphate is an intermediate product used in the production of battery-grade lithium chemicals such as lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate, materials essential for electric vehicle batteries and large-scale energy storage systems.
The industry’s request for additional time comes after a turbulent period for Zimbabwe’s lithium sector.
In February, authorities suspended exports of raw minerals and lithium concentrates, citing export malpractices and mineral leakages. The government later introduced export quotas and stricter conditions for shipments while maintaining plans for a full concentrate export ban from 2027.
Those measures have increased pressure on miners already dealing with volatile commodity prices and rising operating costs.
Despite exporting 1.128 million tonnes of lithium-bearing spodumene concentrate in 2025, an 11% increase from the previous year, Zimbabwe’s export earnings remained largely unchanged at about $513.8 million as weaker global lithium prices offset higher volumes.
The figures reinforced government arguments that exporting raw materials limits the country’s ability to benefit fully from its mineral wealth.
Zimbabwe shipped about 1.13 million tonnes of spodumene concentrate to China last year, accounting for roughly 15% of China’s lithium concentrate imports.
Any disruption to those flows could have implications for the global battery materials supply chain, particularly given China’s dominant position in electric vehicle and battery manufacturing.
The country’s lithium industry nevertheless remains optimistic about the long-term outlook. Industry executives project annual lithium sulphate production could reach 344,000 tonnes by 2030 if planned processing investments are completed.
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