ZELO hails govt ban on lithium concentrate export

The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Organisation (ZELO) has welcomed the Government’s decision to ban the export of lithium concentrate, saying the move will help curb mineral leakages and strengthen accountability in the country’s critical minerals sector.


In a statement, ZELO said the ban aligns with key recommendations from its recent Mine to Market Situational Report for Critical Minerals, which examined Zimbabwe’s lithium supply and value chains and identified major vulnerabilities.

Announcing the suspension, Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura said the ban would remain in place until further notice as authorities tighten export controls, promote local beneficiation and ensure greater value retention from strategic minerals.

ZELO said the minister’s announcement validates findings from its 2025 situational report, which highlighted a porous lithium value chain prone to illicit trade and revenue losses.

“Our report revealed that in response to the growing global demand for lithium, the Government of Zimbabwe has introduced a range of policy and legislative instruments aimed at promoting beneficiation and value addition of lithium and other base minerals within the country,” ZELO said.

Key among these instruments is the Base Minerals Export Control (Unbeneficiated Base Mineral Ores) (Amendment) Order, 2023 (Statutory Instrument 57 of 2023), which restricts the export of unprocessed minerals.

ZELO said the legislative direction demonstrates Government’s commitment to ensuring that extraction of strategic minerals contributes meaningfully to domestic industrialisation and inclusive economic growth.

However, the organisation noted that implementation gaps remain, with mineral leakages still reported at border posts. Some exporters were allegedly passing off raw lithium as concentrate despite failing to meet the required value‑addition thresholds.

“The Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) currently lacks presence at border posts, leading to weak oversight. The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) also lacks the technical capacity to verify mineral content independently, creating delays and risks of mineral leakage,” the report noted.

ZELO commended MMCZ for recently deploying officers to border posts to strengthen monitoring.

The organisation also urged Government to develop national strategies aimed at reducing reliance on a single export market—particularly China—by diversifying trade partnerships, expanding global market outreach and aligning production with international demand trends. Such diversification, ZELO said, would enhance resilience and improve Zimbabwe’s bargaining power.