Mines Minister Dr. Polite Kambamura has rejected calls from lithium producers to delay the planned January 2027 ban on lithium concentrate exports, saying the government will not grant a waiver despite industry appeals for more time to complete processing facilities, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Mapuranga
“For now, we are not talking about the waiver. We are still sticking to the 1st of January,” Kambamura told reporters during a technical visit to the Arcadia lithium sulphate plant.
Producers have asked the government to extend the deadline to around mid-2027, arguing that the construction of lithium sulphate plants required under Zimbabwe’s beneficiation strategy needs additional time. The request was made by the country’s Lithium Producers’ Association at a mining conference in Victoria Falls.
Kambamura dismissed the appeals, saying producers were given a comprehensive notice in June 2025, providing an 18-month window to prepare for the ban. The February 2026 suspension of raw mineral and concentrate exports, he said, was merely a “reminder” that the government remains committed to the original timeline.
“The producers were given a notice in June 2025. This is an 18-month period to January 2027. So the February ban was just a reminder, a thing to say, hey, we are still on with the notice that we gave you. So we are not going to change everything. They have to run with pace. They have to construct a lithium sulphate plant,” he said.
The January 2027 ban is the next step in Zimbabwe’s progressive tightening of controls over its lithium resources, following the 2022 ban on unprocessed ore exports. The government aims to ensure that only lithium sulphate and higher-value products are exported, capturing a larger share of the value from Africa’s largest lithium reserves.
Industry data shows Zimbabwe exported 1.128 million metric tons of spodumene concentrate in 2025, an 11% increase from the previous year, yet export earnings remained largely unchanged at about $513.8 million as weaker global prices offset higher volumes. The figures have reinforced government arguments that raw exports limit the country’s ability to benefit fully from its mineral wealth.
Chinese companies, including Huayou Cobalt, Sinomine, and Yahua Group, have invested billions of dollars in Zimbabwe’s lithium sector since 2021, but only Huayou’s Arcadia facility is currently operational at a more advanced stage in terms of producing lithium salts. Other projects remain under construction or feasibility assessment.
Despite the challenges, industry executives project annual lithium sulphate production could reach 344,000 tons by 2030 if planned investments are completed. Kambamura said the government will not be deterred.
“We are leaving no stone unturned so that the government will continue to benefit immensely from our lithium resources,” he said.
