Mutapa Energy Resources, a subsidiary of Zimbabwe’s sovereign wealth vehicle Mutapa Investment Fund, confirmed the initiative on Thursday through comments from Chief Executive Officer Innocent Rukweza. The project positions the company among a growing group of operators investing in downstream lithium processing in Southern Africa’s largest lithium-producing nation.
Zimbabwe has spent several years encouraging mining companies to develop local processing capacity for lithium, a key metal used in the global energy transition. The policy is beginning to deliver results. In April, a lithium sulfate plant commissioned by Chinese company Zhejiang Huayou completed its first export shipments.
The facility became the first operation in Africa to export lithium sulfate, a product that commands significantly higher value than the lithium concentrate historically shipped from the country. In addition, Chinese companies Sinomine Resources and Sichuan are constructing two similar facilities, further expanding Zimbabwe’s domestic processing capacity.
Mutapa now seeks to join that trend by reaffirming its strategy to develop a fully integrated lithium mining and processing operation at Sandawana. However, the company has disclosed few details beyond the existence of the feasibility study. Reuters, citing comments from Rukweza, reported that the study remains under preparation. The company has not yet disclosed a completion date, construction costs, or planned processing capacity.
The announcement comes as Zimbabwe tightens regulations governing lithium concentrate exports. Authorities currently manage concentrate exports through a quota system. However, the government plans to end such exports entirely from 2027 as part of its broader strategy to promote domestic value addition.
Industry participants have already expressed concerns about the implementation timeline. “We make a strong appeal to our regulators to conclude the ongoing work and extend the ban until next June […]. We ask that you give us a little room to manoeuvre because the timeline may be somewhat short,” Rukweza said.
Rukweza also serves as president of Zimbabwe’s lithium producers association. It remains unclear whether authorities will respond positively to the industry’s request, particularly as other planned processing projects, including proposals involving Chengxin Lithium, still require further confirmation.
Lithium generated $571 million in export revenue for Zimbabwe in 2025, making it one of the country’s leading mineral exports alongside gold, platinum group metals and diamonds.
