By: Creamer media

Africa's top lithium producer suspended exports of lithium concentrates and other unprocessed minerals on February 26, after the government alleged malpractices and leakages.

In a letter to the country's mining chamber seen by Reuters on Wednesday, Zimbabwe's mines ministry set out conditions including the mandatory publication of mines' annual financial statements as well as labour, safety and environmental standards.

"Approved lithium concentrate export quotas will be communicated to each producer," the letter, dated April 2, added.

The government also wants "written commitments on dedicated timelines to set up lithium sulphate plants" before January 1, 2027, it added.

A 10% export tax will, meanwhile, continue to be levied on lithium concentrate exports until a January 2027 ban on concentrate shipments comes into force.

The Chamber of Mines Zimbabwe did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Chinese mining firms including Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Sinomine, Chengxin Lithium Group, Yahua, and the Tsingshan Holding Group dominate Zimbabwe's lithium mining sector, consolidating China's dominance of the global battery metal supply chain.

In 2025, Zimbabwe exported 1.128-million metric tons of lithium-bearing spodumene concentrate to China, accounting for about 15% of its lithium concentrate imports for the year.

Huayou recently built a $400-million plant to further process lithium concentrates into lithium sulphate, an intermediate product that can be refined into battery-grade materials such as lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate.

Sinomine and Yahua have also announced plans to build lithium sulphate plants at their Zimbabwe mines.