Zimbabwe exports first lithium sulphate shipment

Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe (PLZ) said it has dispatched Africa’s first shipment of lithium sulphate from its Arcadia mine, marking a shift toward higher-value mineral processing in Zimbabwe.

The company said the shipment, produced at its processing plant at Arcadia, is the first time lithium sulphate has been made and exported in Zimbabwe and on the continent.

“This inaugural shipment represents the first lithium salt ever produced in Zimbabwe and across Africa, marking a major step forward in regional mineral beneficiation and industrialisation,” the company said, in a notice seen by Kukurigo.

Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s leading lithium producers, has been moving to curb exports of raw minerals in favor of local processing. In 2022, the government banned exports of unprocessed lithium ore, pushing miners — including Huayou Cobalt’s Prospect Lithium — to produce concentrates.

Authorities have since raised the threshold for value addition, requiring miners to export lithium as sulphate from 2027, a higher-value product used in battery materials. A 10% tax on lithium concentrates is already in place to accelerate the shift.

The government also suspended concentrate exports in February, later allowing limited shipments under quotas as producers transition toward sulphate production.

PLZ said the latest export shows Zimbabwe’s emergence in the global lithium value chain as demand for battery materials rises with the expansion of electric vehicles and energy storage systems.ic impact.