Harare, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe’s lithium industry is dominated by a handful of large-scale mining projects, most of them backed by Chinese investment. Major producers include Bikita Minerals in Masvingo Province, Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe’s Arcadia Mine near Harare, Kamativi Lithium Mine in Matabeleland North, Sabi Star Lithium Mine in Buhera, Sandawana Mine in Mberengwa and Gwanda Lithium Mine in Matabeleland South.

Together, these projects have helped make Zimbabwe one of Africa’s leading lithium producers and an increasingly important supplier of battery minerals used in electric vehicles and renewable energy technologies.

The country’s push to move beyond exporting raw minerals gained momentum in April when Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe (PLZ) announced its first export of lithium sulphate, a higher-value processed product. The material is produced at the company’s recently commissioned $400m processing facility at Arcadia Mine near Harare.

In a post on X on April 27, PLZ said: “History has been made. Arcadia Technology Zimbabwe has successfully dispatched its first export of lithium sulphate, a landmark achievement for both the company, the country and the continent.”

PLZ is wholly owned by Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, a major Chinese battery minerals company.

Al Jazeera contacted PLZ communications manager Patience Mushore by phone and later sent written questions. While initially indicating responses would be provided, Mushore later declined to comment, saying the company receives numerous media inquiries and referring Al Jazeera to previously published statements.

Policy push

Bikita Minerals says it is advancing plans to move further up the lithium value chain. In a statement seen by Al Jazeera, the company said it is aligning its operations with Zimbabwe’s beneficiation strategy through a multimillion-dollar investment programme aimed at producing lithium precursor chemicals rather than exporting concentrate.

The company said it has established in-house assay laboratories for real-time mineral testing, quality control and export compliance.

“Bikita Minerals is implementing a $400m investment programme to move from exporting lithium concentrate to developing lithium precursor chemicals,” the company said.

According to the company, the first phase of its lithium sulphate project is expected to be commissioned in the second quarter of 2027 with an annual production capacity of 60,000 tonnes.

Meanwhile, Mutapa Energy Minerals, a subsidiary of the state-owned Mutapa Investment Fund, says it is preparing to develop a lithium concentrate processing plant at Sandawana Lithium Mine in partnership with Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt and Tsingshan Holding Group.

The developments come as Zimbabwe seeks to maximise returns from its mineral wealth through domestic processing and industrialisation.

Export gains

According to data released by the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ), mineral sales reached $983.85m during the first quarter of 2026, while export volumes rose 27 percent and export values increased 79 percent following the government’s ban on exports of unprocessed minerals.

Lithium export earnings rose from $84.19m in the first quarter of 2025 to $178.64m during the same period this year, according to MMCZ figures.

Speaking to state media, Mines and Mining Development Minister Polite Kambamura said the sector had already generated at least $2bn this year and remained on a strong growth trajectory.

According to reports of his remarks, Kambamura attributed the performance to firm global prices for gold and platinum group metals as well as growing investment in lithium processing. He cited PLZ’s Arcadia operation as an example of Zimbabwe’s efforts to move into higher-value lithium sulphate production.

Al Jazeera reached out to Kambamura for comment, making repeated attempts through phone calls, text messages and visits to his offices. However, all efforts to secure a response on the government’s lithium policy and whether sanctions are affecting the mining sector were unsuccessful.

According to his personal assistant, the minister spent the week at Senate House, limiting his availability to respond to media inquiries.

But analysts warn that processing minerals locally will not automatically translate into broad-based economic development.

Rashweat Mukundu, a political analyst, told Al Jazeera that Zimbabwe’s push to process more lithium domestically was a positive step but would require sustained investment in infrastructure, technology and industrial capacity.

“Revenues from processed lithium are increasing, but the policy should be guided by a long-term strategy rather than a knee-jerk political reaction,” he said.

“Without sufficient investment and investor alignment, Zimbabwe risks remaining stuck with unprocessed minerals.”

Mukundu said China remains Zimbabwe’s dominant investor and export market in the lithium sector but warned against overreliance on a single partner.

“China remains the main market and investor in Zimbabwe’s lithium sector, but overdependence carries risks. Zimbabwe needs to diversify export markets and improve international relations if it wants to maximise long-term economic and industrial gains,” he said.

Questions also remain over whether the country’s lithium boom is translating into tangible improvements for communities living near mining operations.

Resource governance advocates argue that efforts to process minerals locally must be accompanied by investment in infrastructure, industrial development and local livelihoods.

“Zimbabwe’s lithium sector continues to be hampered by policy inconsistency, weak infrastructure, limited industrial capacity and inadequate community benefits,” Farai Maguwu, executive director of the Centre for Natural Resource Governance, told Al Jazeera.

“Frequent policy reversals create uncertainty for investors, while poor roads, energy shortages and weak regulatory oversight undermine beneficiation efforts.”

Maguwu said communities around several major lithium projects were not yet seeing the level of benefits many residents had expected from the sector’s rapid growth.

“Communities hosting lithium mines are seeing little benefit, particularly around Bikita Minerals, Prospect Lithium in Goromonzi and Sabi Star. There are concerns over damaged roads, limited local employment opportunities, declining livelihoods and inadequate investment in health, education and public infrastructure.

“Without a clear long-term industrialisation strategy, Zimbabwe risks remaining a supplier of raw materials rather than fully benefitting from its lithium resources,” he said.

Mountain Mujakachi, director of the Bikita Land Institute of Development (BILD), told Al Jazeera that community expectations surrounding lithium beneficiation had largely gone unmet.

“There is no tangible evidence that value addition has created meaningful jobs as promised during President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s visit,” he said.

Mujakachi alleged that some community members had raised concerns about recruitment practices and access to employment opportunities.

He also questioned whether commitments announced after the acquisition of Bikita Minerals had been fulfilled.

“Infrastructure pledges, including a $10m bridge project announced by Sinomine Resource Group after acquiring Bikita Minerals, have not been fulfilled. The company has also allegedly refused to sign a memorandum of understanding with the local council, limiting accountability,” he said.

Mujakachi further cited concerns about water shortages, environmental impacts, and unfulfilled commitments regarding electricity supply.

Despite the criticism, Bikita Minerals says it continues to invest in community development initiatives.

In a statement seen by Al Jazeera, the company highlighted a $1m health facility serving more than 5,000 people, nutrition support programmes reaching nearly 10,000 learners, a 132kV power line project valued at up to $30m, and more than $500,000 spent on road rehabilitation and other community infrastructure.

The company said it remains committed to financial transparency, sustainable growth and community development.

Zimbabwe’s restriction on unprocessed lithium exports has also received cautious support from organised labour.

The Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union says the policy aligns with the Africa Mining Vision and broader industrialisation goals, but warns that processing minerals locally will not automatically improve workers’ lives.

“Implementation must include social dialogue, unionisation, labour protections, community benefits and revenue transparency to ensure mining does not continue patterns of exploitation,” Justice Chinhema, general secretary of the Zimbabwe Diamond and Allied Minerals Workers Union, told Al Jazeera.

“Value addition must benefit workers and communities through decent jobs, workplace safety and improved infrastructure.”

Global stakes

As Zimbabwe races to position itself higher in the global battery minerals supply chain, the debate is increasingly shifting beyond export earnings and investment figures to a more fundamental question: Who ultimately benefits from the country’s lithium wealth?

For many communities living alongside the mines, the answer remains unclear.

“Without a clear long-term industrialisation strategy, Zimbabwe risks remaining a supplier of raw materials rather than fully benefitting from its lithium resources,” Maguwu told Al Jazeera.