- Nine institutions designated as analytical hubs for lithium, PGMs, chrome, and diamonds
Zimbabwe has ended its costly reliance on foreign laboratories for mineral certification, establishing a decentralised network of analytical hubs at nine universities and scientific institutions across the country, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Rudairo Maparanga
Information Minister Hon. Zhemu Soda, announcing at the weekly Cabinet briefing on Tuesday, said the government has identified nine universities, such as the University of Zimbabwe, Great Zimbabwe University, and Midlands State University, among others, for mineral analysis.
“Government will end the costly and risky reliance on foreign laboratories for mineral certification through a decentralised network of specialised analytical hubs co-located at national universities and scientific institutions,” Hon. Soda said.
The National Minerals Research and Analytical Scientific Laboratory Infrastructure Pillar is part of the broader Minerals Value Chain Framework approved by Cabinet, which aims to transition Zimbabwe from a primary resource exporter to a minerals-based industrial manufacturing hub.
University of Zimbabwe to Serve as Apex Hub
Under the new framework, the National Mineral Research Centre at the University of Zimbabwe will function as the apex hub for all minerals, with particular responsibility for lithium, rare earth elements, and uranium.
“Each institution will serve as a dedicated referee for specific mineral clusters within the region,” Soda explained.
Specialised Centres Across the Country
The decentralised arrangements assign specific mandates to each institution:
The National University of Science and Technology and Great Zimbabwe University will anchor platinum group metals and battery minerals.
Midlands State University will provide analytical oversight for iron ore, chrome, and vanadium corridors.
Manicaland State University of Applied Sciences will focus on the national diamond and gemmology suite.
Chinhoyi University of Technology and Bindura University of Science Education will specialise in industrial minerals, phosphates, and graphite.
Gwanda State University will serve Matabeleland South Province on geology and beneficiation for artisanal and small-scale miners.
The Zimbabwe School of Mines will function as an integrated core hub for specialised training.
The laboratory network comes nearly two months after the government imposed an immediate suspension of all raw mineral and lithium concentrate exports on 25 February 2026.
That ban, still in effect for non-compliant producers, was triggered by evidence of widespread under-declaration of mineral content, transfer pricing, and smuggling. Without domestic laboratory capacity, the government had no independent means to verify what exporters were declaring.
The new network allows the government to certify mineral content locally, eliminating the delays, costs, and strategic risks associated with sending samples to laboratories in South Africa, Europe, and China.
“This pillar is designed to close the leakages that have perennially prejudiced the country of huge earnings from its vast mineral wealth,” Hon. Soda said.
Cabinet also approved a consolidated legal framework to operationalise the mineral value chain, with the four pillars to be supported by reliable energy supply, self-generation incentives for beneficiation projects, and environmental, social, and governance initiatives. The Ministry of Mines and Mining Development will be strengthened to undertake the added responsibilities.
The laboratory network is expected to be rolled out in phases, with the University of Zimbabwe apex hub operational first, followed by regional centres at NUST, Great Zimbabwe University, and Midlands State University.
