HARARE, April 28 – China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt has shipped Africa’s first consignment of lithium sulphate from its Zimbabwe operations, marking a major milestone in the continent’s push toward mineral beneficiation.
The shipment comes just two months after Zimbabwe halted exports of lithium concentrates, citing malpractice and revenue leakages in the sector.
Huayou’s Zimbabwe unit described the export as the first lithium salt ever produced both in Zimbabwe and across Africa, signaling a shift from raw material exports toward higher-value processing.
The company completed its $400 million lithium processing plant in October 2025, with capacity to produce 50,000 metric tons of lithium sulphate annually. This intermediate product can be further refined into battery-grade materials such as lithium hydroxide and lithium carbonate, which are essential for electric vehicle production.
Zimbabwe, Africa’s leading lithium producer, has been intensifying efforts to ensure more value is retained domestically. Authorities recently introduced a 10% tax on lithium concentrate exports, while exempting processed products like lithium sulphate to encourage local refining.
The government has also taken stricter measures, including temporarily halting lithium concentrate exports in February and introducing quotas in April. These policies are part of a broader strategy to enforce transparency, improve environmental and labor standards, and boost industrialization.
A full ban on lithium concentrate exports is set to take effect in January 2027, reinforcing the country’s long-term ambition to build a domestic battery minerals industry.
Several companies, including Sichuan Yahua Industrial Group, Chengxin Lithium Group, and Sinomine Resource Group, have already received export quotas under the new system. It remains unclear whether Huayou has been granted similar approval.
Chinese firms continue to dominate Zimbabwe’s lithium sector, reinforcing China’s strong position in the global battery supply chain. In 2025, Zimbabwe exported over 1.13 million metric tons of lithium concentrate to China, accounting for a significant share of its imports.
The latest development highlights a broader shift across resource-rich African nations, which are increasingly prioritizing local processing and industrialization over the export of raw materials.
