Vice President Dr Constantino Chiwenga has declared an immediate halt to the export of raw lithium. The directive mandates that all mining corporations operating within the country’s borders must establish local value-addition plants by January of next year, marking the end of an era where raw materials were shipped abroad for processing.
The announcement was delivered during the Vice President’s tour of the Kamativi Mining Company in Matabeleland North, where he is conducting a wider assessment of provincial economic projects. While he praised the incredible work undertaken to breathe new life into formerly defunct mines, he was unequivocal about the government’s new, non-negotiable position. The focus must now shift from mere extraction to industrialisation within Zimbabwe itself.
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Vice President Chiwenga Orders Raw Lithium Exports Ban
The Vice President articulated a clear vision, linking the policy directly to Zimbabwe’s economic sovereignty and its role on the African stage. He stated that the cabinet has already set its sights on this transformative goal.He emphasised,
“The cabinet has already indicated that we want now further beneficiation for the economy.”
He further connected this to a broader continental ambition, noting that the Government’s vision is for Zimbabwe to be a central player in the region and the newly established African Continental Free Trade Area.
The core of the new policy demands that miners move beyond exporting raw spodumene ore and begin producing tangible, finished goods. This, the government argues, will create more employment and ensure the nation reaps the full financial rewards of its natural wealth. The Vice President challenged the industry to think bigger, envisioning a future where Zimbabwe is known for its manufactured goods, not just its raw exports.
“We can no longer keep on doing the extraction and shipping and giving other people the resources,” he declared. “As we have said, January, we expect all companies that are now in lithium, to be now not exporting, but now to making tangible products.”
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He elaborated on this vision with specific examples, stating,
“If we are going to make an electric vehicle, so be it. Whatever we are going to make with cell phones, so be it. Let us do something that is an end product. The precious mineral that we are taking, it must be processed and bring something that can be, say, made in Zimbabwe, from the region we come from. That is what we want.”
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The post Vice President Chiwenga Orders Raw Lithium Exports Ban appeared first on iHarare News.
