Zimbabwe is set host the 2025 Lithium Value Chain Hackathon from 26 to 27 November, in Harare, as part of the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development’s initiative to bring together innovators from across the country to develop solutions that enhance sustainability, transparency, and value addition in the lithium sector.
In a statement by the Ministry, the hackathon is part of Zimbabwe’s high-impact innovation agenda, designed to encourage youth enterprises, tech innovators, and industry players to develop practical, scalable solutions, in line with the country’s “Zimbabwe is Open for Business” initiative.
“The country is advancing a high-impact innovation agenda that encourages youth enterprises, tech innovators, and industry to create practical, scalable solutions,” read the statement.
“Zimbabwe aims to lead in the global lithium market through increased investment, new mines, and growing demand for value-added products.”
The hackathon comes at a time when Zimbabwe is intensifying its efforts to become a leading player in the global lithium industry. The Ministry acknowledged that while investment is flowing into new mines, the demand for value-added lithium products is also rising, hence the need to address the challenges in the sector.
The Ministry further acknowledged gaps that continue to limit the sector’s full development, which it said included: limited local beneficiation; environmental concerns in extraction and processing; inefficiencies in traceability and ESG compliance frameworks; low participation from youth and MSMEs; infrastructure and knowledge limitations; and untapped opportunities in recycling, circular economy models, and battery technology.
The Ministry also highlighted the need for digitally enabled systems to support data management, monitoring, transparency, and certification.
The hackathon is open to all innovators, including youth, startups, researchers, engineers, MSMEs, academia, and ecosystem enablers. It is being organized by the Ministry of Mines and mining development in conjunction with UNDP, running under the theme “Innovating for Green Minerals, Sustainability and Inclusive Growth.”
The event will serve as a national platform for co-creating community-driven solutions that address real-world challenges across the lithium sector from upstream mining operations to downstream value addition, green manufacturing, battery innovation, recycling, and global market integration.
