Zimbabwe lithium mine to process at home in $1bn expansion

Harare — Bikita Minerals, one of Zimbabwe's lithium producers, is moving to process its ore inside the country, in an expansion that the company says will take its total investment past $1 billion by 2027.

The company has already put more than $380 million into completed processing projects, its assistant general manager, Thomas Mufumi, said, according to the Harare news site 263Chat. The expansion is led by its Chinese owner, Sinomine.

What is being built

• A lithium sulphate plant costing $400 million, due to be finished in the second quarter of 2027 and designed to produce 100,000 tonnes a year.
• An expansion of one ore-processing line from 2 million to 3.3 million tonnes of ore a year.
• Further investment in extracting tantalum.

Why Zimbabwe wants it

Zimbabwe wants to keep more of the value of its minerals at home through local processing, technology transfer and industrial development, and to cut exports of raw and partly processed minerals.

The general manager of the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe, Dr Nomusa Jane Moyo, said the investment showed how processing can turn mining into a wider engine of growth, raising mineral revenue, creating jobs and bringing in technology. The aim, she said, is for Zimbabwe to build an industry around its minerals and not simply export them. She added that the benefits depend on developing local suppliers, creating jobs and passing on skills.

The people

Bikita Minerals employs about 1,400 people directly, and more than 2,000 when contractors are counted. The company supports rural electrification, schools, clinics and road building in the area.

The risks

The report notes that the world lithium market is uncertain, with prices and demand moving unpredictably. Mr Mufumi said producers need large amounts of working capital, and asked the government to review the taxes and allowable deductions that apply to them.

Source: 263Chat via AllAfrica, reporting by Elia Ntali, 13 October 2026.