As artificial intelligence reshapes mineral exploration globally, helping companies uncover major copper, lithium and other critical mineral deposits faster than ever before, Zimbabwe is increasingly turning its attention to a challenge industry leaders say has been neglected for decades: finding the next generation of mineral discoveries needed to sustain mining-led economic growth, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
With mining expected to remain one of Zimbabwe’s most important sources of export earnings, investment and economic growth, policymakers are increasingly turning their attention to a question that will determine the sector’s future: where the next generation of mineral deposits will come from.
The urgency of that challenge was underscored by the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Dr Polite Kambamura, who argued that long-term growth in the industry depends on a renewed focus on exploration.
“Every tonne of ore exported today must eventually be replaced through new discoveries and expanded resource definition. Zimbabwe remains underexplored by modern international standards,” Kambamura told a packed Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe conference in Victoria Falls recently.
The warning comes as governments and mining companies worldwide embrace technologies that are dramatically changing how mineral deposits are discovered. Artificial intelligence and machine-learning systems are increasingly being used to analyse vast amounts of geological, geophysical and drilling data, allowing exploration companies to identify promising targets in a fraction of the time traditionally required.
KoBold Metals, backed by Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos and T. Rowe Price, is among the companies leading that shift. The firm is using machine learning to analyse more than five decades of geological data across Africa to identify mineral deposits that could otherwise take years to locate through conventional exploration methods.
Its projects include a proposed US$2.3 billion copper mine in Zambia and a US$1 billion lithium development in the Democratic Republic of Congo. In Burundi, the company is helping to digitise the country’s entire geological archive, unlocking exploration data that has never before been readily accessible.
For Zimbabwe, however, the significance of such developments extends beyond the technology itself.
A Policy Challenge More Than a Geological One
Industry experts argue that Zimbabwe’s exploration deficit has less to do with geology than with policy and investment conditions.
Following independence, significant systematic exploration resumed after economic liberalisation opened the sector to international mining companies with access to capital, technology and modern exploration techniques.
Over roughly a decade, the industry witnessed the recognition and development of major mineral deposits, including Ayrshire, Connemara, Eureka, Giant, Freda Rebecca, Indarama, Isabella, Pickstone, Royal Family, Turkey and Vubachikwe, many of which had previously been regarded as relatively small deposits.
The same period saw new discoveries at Maligreen, Ipanema and Hungwe, while the Kanyemba uranium deposit was identified and Hartley Platinum Mine was commissioned.
However, exploration activity slowed significantly after 2000 as economic and political challenges reduced investment and curtailed large-scale exploration programmes.
The contrast, according to industry observers, demonstrates the extent to which policy can influence mineral discovery.
“Given an environment that encourages exploration, this country has unlimited opportunities for mineral discoveries,” one industry expert noted.
Experts frequently describe Zimbabwe’s known mineral resources as the visible tip of a much larger iceberg. While the country is already recognised as one of Africa’s leading mining jurisdictions, they argue that currently identified deposits likely represent only a small fraction of its total mineral endowment.
That reality has important implications for long-term mining growth.
Without continued exploration, existing mines eventually deplete their reserves, reducing future production capacity and limiting opportunities for new investment. It also threatens the sustainability of beneficiation and value-addition initiatives, which depend on a reliable pipeline of mineral resources to secure long-term feedstock supplies.
Building the Foundations for Discovery
Recognising the challenge, the government plans to undertake a national airborne geophysical survey incorporating aeromagnetic and electromagnetic mapping technologies to improve geological understanding and identify new mineral targets.
Kambamura said authorities are also strengthening the Geological Survey Department and improving geological data management systems to make information more accessible to investors and exploration companies.
The initiatives are intended to stimulate private-sector exploration spending while improving the quality of geological information available to the market.
Industry analysts say such investments could prove increasingly important as artificial intelligence becomes more integrated into mineral exploration.
While AI has demonstrated its ability to accelerate discoveries, its effectiveness depends heavily on the quality and availability of geological data. Machine-learning models require extensive datasets, including geological maps, geophysical surveys, drilling records and historical exploration results, to generate meaningful predictions.
In that regard, Zimbabwe’s planned geophysical surveys and geological data modernisation efforts could provide a critical foundation for future exploration.
Yet experts caution that technology alone will not guarantee success.
While artificial intelligence may help identify mineral targets faster, the broader economic benefits of new discoveries depend on the policy framework that governs exploration, mine development and mineral processing.
Exploration, they argue, is only the first step. The greater challenge lies in ensuring discoveries translate into investment, jobs, downstream industries and long-term economic value.
As countries across Africa race to modernise geological databases and attract exploration capital, Zimbabwe’s own history offers an important lesson: when policies encourage exploration, discoveries follow.
The question now is whether the country can create the data, investment and regulatory environment needed to unlock what may still be a largely hidden mineral resource base.
