Miners Federation says raw lithium export ban to bolster investment – NewZimbabwe.com

By Alois Vinga

THE Zimbabwe Miners Federation (ZMF) has said government’s recently announced embargo on raw lithium exports is set to bolster investment in the sector and create more jobs for locals.

Speaking to NewZimbabwe.com, ZMF president Henrietta Rushwaya hailed the development saying it will go a long way to rake in more profits for the country.

“The ban is significant and will go a long way to plug leakages and curb revenue losses on the government’s part. Raw lithium exports were exposing the government prompting it not to realise the true value of the resource and in the process negatively impacting the attainment of the US$12 billion mining economy,” Rushwaya said.

“The benefits derived in lithium processing are but not limited to throughput gain, process stability, energy consumption reduction, and increased yield. We applaud the Government initiative to come up with the SI 213 of 2022.”

The policy directive comes at a moment when several stakeholders have since called for a total ban on raw mineral exports in a bid to maximise benefits.

Zimbabwe ranks sixth out of eight top global producers of the precious metal with market data also showing that the nation holds Africa’s largest lithium reserves.

It has seen its lithium output increase dramatically, producing an estimated 1,200 metric tonnes of the important battery metal.