Lithium: Zimbabwe and China Achieve Historic First in Africa

Zimbabwe shipped its first lithium sulfate cargo on April 27, 2026, from the Arcadia mine, marking the first commercial production of lithium salt in Africa. This achievement is the result of a $400 million investment by Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt in a processing plant. The shipment comes after the suspension of raw lithium concentrate exports, aimed at encouraging local refining investments. In 2025, Zimbabwe exported 1.13 million tons of spodumene concentrate to China, accounting for 15% of China's annual imports of this raw material.