Government has declared lithium, platinum group metals (PGMs), gold, diamonds and several other key resources strategic minerals as it moves to tighten control over the country’s critical mineral wealth and boost local beneficiation.
In a statement released yesterday, the Minister of Mines and Mining Development, Polite Kambamura, said the declaration was necessitated by increasing global demand for minerals critical to the global energy transition and the need for Zimbabwe to strategically manage its vast mineral resources.
“Due to increasing global demand for critical minerals to underpin the Energy Transition Drive and need for the country to strategically plan on its mineral resources, the minerals on the attached schedule have been declared as Critical, Special Critical and Strategic Minerals,” said Minister Kambamura.
The minister said the classification of the minerals was based on several strategic considerations, including vulnerability of supply chains, international demand and the minerals’ economic significance to Zimbabwe.
“For the avoidance of doubt, the declaration of minerals in the Schedule is based on the following criteria.
Minerals whose supply chains are highly vulnerable to disruption, with potential to cause conflicts, minerals on high international demand where Zimbabwe holds significant reserves or production dominance and minerals essential as raw materials for both international, domestic manufacturing and local downstream beneficiation,” he said.
Minister Kambamura added that Government also considered the employment creation potential and economic benefits associated with the minerals.
“Minerals with the capacity to generate substantial direct and indirect local employment and national economic benefits as well as minerals with low occurrences and low grades but of high value were among the factors informing the declaration, he added.
Under the new framework, Government will take a more direct role in the exploitation of the declared minerals through designated Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs).
“In accordance with the Critical Minerals Development Strategy, the State shall, through designated Special Purpose Vehicles (SPVs), exercise a mandatory minimum shareholding in the exploitation of these minerals,” said Minister Kambamura.
Government also moved to tighten regulations on exports of raw minerals as part of efforts to promote value addition and beneficiation within Zimbabwe.
“No person shall export any mineral listed in the Schedule in its raw or unbeneficiated form unless such export is authorised under a conditional transitional plan approved by the Minister of Mines and Mining Development with a specific timeline for local beneficiation beyond the concentrate stage,” he noted.
Minister Kambamura further stated that; “minerals listed under the new framework shall be exported as per approved Government beneficiation levels, while applications for mining rights involving the minerals shall be by prior approval of the Minister of Mines and Mining Development.”
The list of declared critical minerals includes lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, copper, rare earth elements, chrome, platinum group metals, manganese, antimony, uranium, ruthenium, tungsten and niobium.
Metallurgical coal has been classified as a special critical mineral, while strategic minerals include limestone, potash, phosphorus, iron ore, pyrites, oil and gas, coal, gold and diamonds.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe possesses some of the world’s largest deposits of lithium, platinum and chrome, minerals that have become increasingly important in the global energy transition.
Government has in recent years intensified efforts to promote beneficiation and value addition in the mining sector as part of wider plans to maximise export earnings and industrial development.
