By Eng. Paul Matshona and Eng. Martina January

Battery technologies now sit at the heart of the global industrial system. Electric vehicles (EVs), renewable-energy storage, and digital electronics are pushing demand for battery minerals to unprecedented levels.

Countries positioned to supply these minerals or critically,  to refine and process them, are restructuring their economies around this new opportunity.

Zimbabwe is one such country.

 Possessing high-grade hard-rock lithium pegmatites, long-established nickel and copper sulphide operations, significant manganese and graphite potential, and rare earths that complement EV motors and power electronics, Zimbabwe has the upstream architecture required for a complete energy-transition portfolio.

But geology alone is no longer a competitive advantage.

In a global market driven by high-purity chemicals, technology standards, ESG compliance, and integrated supply chains, the countries that prosper will be those able to convert minerals into battery-grade materials-not those who merely mine them. Zimbabwe stands at this crossroads.

Bold decisions made today will determine whether the country becomes a regional battery-materials powerhouse or remains a low-margin raw-resource exporter in an era where value is migrating downstream.

Zimbabwe’s battery mineral endowment: A multi-commodity strategic base

 

Zimbabwe is unusual among global jurisdictions in hosting all major battery-relevant minerals. This multi-commodity depth is a uniquely powerful foundation for downstream integration.

Lithium: The anchor mineral

 

Zimbabwe hosts one of the world’s highest concentrations of lithium-caesium-tantalum (LCT) pegmatites. Major assets include Bikita, Arcadia, Sabi Star, Zulu, Sandawana, and deposits in the Mutare Greenstone Belt. These are high-quality spodumene and petalite systems capable of producing battery-grade lithium salts. Zimbabwe has already become Africa’s largest lithium producer and now hosts emerging lithium sulphate plants-a critical midstream step toward lithium hydroxide and carbonate.

 

Nickel, cobalt & copper: Zimbabwe’s hidden battery engine

 

Beyond lithium, Zimbabwe’s nickel-cobalt-copper sulphides on the Great Dyke differentiate it from most lithium jurisdictions. The Empress smelter-refinery, while not being utilised, could be upgraded for nickel and cobalt sulphate production-essential for NMC and NCA cathode materials. This positions Zimbabwe not just as a lithium country, but as a full-spectrum battery-metals hub.

Manganese: Critical for emerging LMFP & high-Mn chemistries

Lithium-manganese-iron-phosphate (LMFP) batteries are emerging globally as low-cost, cobalt-free alternatives for energy storage and EV markets. Zimbabwe’s manganese districts (Gweru, Kwekwe, Mberengwa, Makonde) offer potential for high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate (HPMSM) production-one of the most sought-after battery chemicals in Asia. There is no adequate information on the resources definition, investing in exploration and mineral resource development is critical for manganese mining

Graphite: The anode opportunity

Natural graphite remains the dominant anode material for lithium-ion batteries. Zimbabwe’s Lynx deposit in Karoi and surrounding Piriwiri belt show high-grade flake potential, appropriate for conversion into spherical purified graphite (SPG), the critical material used in anodes.

Lynx Mine is a crucial yet underappreciated component of the country’s battery minerals portfolio. Lynx, one of Africa’s largest natural graphite producers, if revived has potential to supply high-quality flake graphite suitable for anode material in lithium-ion batteries. As global demand surges for battery-grade graphite; driven by exponential growth in electric vehicles and grid storage; Zimbabwe’s established production and potential for downstream processing position it as a strategic supplier in the evolving energy transition. With investments in purification and spherical graphite facilities, Zimbabwe could capture significant value by moving beyond raw concentrate exports to supplying finished anode materials tailored for battery manufacturers.

Rare earth elements, PGMs & auxiliary metals

Even beyond core battery minerals, Zimbabwe’s PGMs, copper, and rare-earth occurrences feed adjacent EV and power-electronics supply chains. This enhances Zimbabwe’s strategic positioning beyond the battery itself. Together, these minerals make Zimbabwe one of the world’s few jurisdictions capable of supplying an entire suite of battery materials.

 

Zimbabwe’s battery mineral endowment: A multi-commodity strategic base

Zimbabwe occupies an exceptional geological position in the global battery minerals landscape. Few jurisdictions worldwide host the full suite of minerals that underpin the modern energy-storage economy. This multi-commodity depth-from lithium to nickel, cobalt, manganese, graphite, and rare earths-places Zimbabwe in a rare category of countries capable of supplying an integrated battery-materials pipeline. The breadth of this mineral base is not merely an export advantage; it is the foundation for full downstream industrialisation.

 

The country’s lithium wealth is anchored in one of the world’s richest belts of lithium-caesium-tantalum pegmatites. Assets such as Bikita, Arcadia, Sabi Star, Zulu, Sandawana, and the Mutare Greenstone Belt contain high-quality spodumene and petalite capable of yielding battery-grade salts. Zimbabwe is now Africa’s leading lithium producer and has begun establishing lithium sulphate plants-an essential intermediate step between raw ore and high-value lithium hydroxide or carbonate. This shift signals the beginning of Zimbabwe’s transition from mere extraction to chemical processing capability.

 

What differentiates Zimbabwe from conventional lithium jurisdictions is the presence of nickel-cobalt-copper sulphides along the Great Dyke. The country’s existing smelting and refining capacity, particularly the idle but structurally sound Bindura refinery, presents a rare opportunity: with targeted investment and process upgrades, it could produce nickel and cobalt sulphates for the global NMC and NCA cathode markets. This positions Zimbabwe not as a single-mineral supplier, but as a genuine full-spectrum battery-metals jurisdiction.

 

Emerging chemistries such as lithium-manganese-iron-phosphate (LMFP) are reshaping global energy-storage demand. Zimbabwe’s manganese belts-stretching from Gweru and Kwekwe to Mberengwa and Makonde-hold significant potential for producing high-purity manganese sulphate monohydrate, a critical precursor increasingly demanded by Asian EV and stationery-storage markets. This diversification strengthens Zimbabwe’s long-term relevance in the battery ecosystem, especially as global markets trend toward cobalt-free chemistries.

Zimbabwe’s graphite potential, particularly the Lynx deposit in Karoi and the broader Piriwiri belt, provides another important gateway into the battery value chain. Natural flake graphite remains the dominant anode material for lithium-ion cells. If processed into spherical purified graphite (SPG) or coated SPG, Zimbabwe could enter one of the highest-margin components of the entire supply chain.

 

In addition to its headline battery minerals, Zimbabwe’s rare earth occurrences, copper deposits, and globally significant PGM reserves further reinforce its strategic importance. These minerals feed into magnet technologies, fuel-cell components, and electrical systems, meaning Zimbabwe’s mineral endowment supports not only batteries but the broader EV and electrification ecosystem.

 

Zimbabwe’s position in the battery value chain

The battery manufacturing value chain spans extraction, chemical refining, active-material production, cell manufacturing, and pack assembly. Zimbabwe’s strength remains overwhelmingly in upstream mining, where it has achieved significant progress through multiple lithium operations, mature nickel and cobalt mines, and small-scale manganese and graphite extraction. The country is now making its first decisive steps into chemical processing through emerging lithium sulphate plants and the latent potential of the Bindura refinery.

However, the deeper value lies in downstream processing-chemical refining and active material manufacture-which collectively capture more than 60 percent of the total battery value. Zimbabwe currently participates only in segments that deliver, at best, 5-10 percent of final product value. Without moving downstream, the country will remain a volume-based exporter in a world where margins are determined by refinement, technology, and intellectual property.

What it takes to move from ore to battery materials

The transition from mining to battery-materials production requires Zimbabwe to meet stringent technical, infrastructural, and policy conditions.

Producing battery-grade chemicals means operating plants capable of meeting impurity thresholds below 200 ppm-a level achievable only through advanced hydrometallurgical systems, process-control technologies, and laboratory verification under ISO/IEC 17025 standards.

This journey also hinges on energy reliability. Battery-chemical refining is intolerant to load-shedding or voltage fluctuations.

A viable industrial policy therefore requires renewable-energy industrial parks, grid stabilisation, wheeling frameworks for independent power producers, and dedicated transmission corridors into proposed battery-materials hubs.

Environmental management represents another critical requirement.

Battery-chemical plants generate complex effluents requiring zero-liquid-discharge systems, world-class tailings management, and transparent environmental monitoring. As global scrutiny intensifies-particularly from the EU’s Green Deal and upcoming Battery Regulation-Zimbabwe’s credibility will depend on demonstrable ESG performance.

Skills and research capability will also determine competitiveness. A battery-materials industry requires chemical engineers, materials scientists, hydrometallurgists, simulation specialists, and electrochemistry experts. Institutions such as the Zimbabwe School of Mines and universities must form a dedicated Battery Materials Research Centre to anchor local knowledge generation and technology adaptation.

Most importantly, Zimbabwe must restore investor confidence through predictable, transparent, non-retroactive policy instruments. Export bans issued without notice, ambiguous beneficiation rules, and inconsistent licensing processes undermine capital inflow and deter long-term industrial investment.

 

The missing links: Why Zimbabwe has not yet captured value

Zimbabwe’s inability to claim a larger share of battery value is not geological-it is institutional and infrastructural. The absence of a unified national industrial strategy means interventions occur in silos, with little coordination between mining, energy, transport, water, and innovation ecosystems. Midstream processing cannot flourish without reliable power, water security, efficient logistics, and digitalised traceability.

Domestic ownership of technology also remains limited, with most processing initiatives led by foreign entities, predominantly Chinese operators. Without local or regional equity participation, value addition will remain externally controlled, limiting technology transfer and slowing domestic capacity growth.

ESG governance weaknesses further constrain market access. Premium markets, especially in Europe, require strict due-diligence compliance. Zimbabwe risks exclusion from these markets unless governance and traceability systems meet global expectations.

Finally, the domestic market is too small to anchor downstream manufacturing. Zimbabwe must therefore align its ambitions with regional market structures-particularly South Africa’s automotive sector, regional off-grid battery demand, and the development of export-oriented refined-materials hubs.

Strategic pathways for moving forward

Zimbabwe’s opportunity lies in building structured industrial corridors that integrate mining, chemical refining, renewable energy, water infrastructure, research capability, and logistics.

A National Lithium-Nickel-Manganese Chemical Corridor stretching from Harare to Goromonzi and down to Bikita could serve as the nucleus for battery-chemicals production, including lithium hydroxide, nickel and cobalt sulphates, and high-purity manganese sulphate.

This corridor should include testing laboratories, renewable-powered industrial parks, and shared infrastructure.

In parallel, a graphite-processing cluster in Karoi could be developed into an anode-materials hub capable of producing purified flake graphite, spherical graphite, and ultimately coated spherical graphite. This segment is technologically achievable and offers competitive entry costs compared with cathode manufacturing.

At the regional level, Zimbabwe should champion a Southern African Battery Materials Alliance.

 Such a pact would leverage Zimbabwe’s lithium, manganese, graphite, and nickel chemicals; Zambia’s copper, cobalt, and hydropower; and South Africa’s automotive base and port infrastructure. Together, these economies could position Southern Africa as one of the world’s dominant battery-materials regions.

Zimbabwe must also treat ESG leadership as a competitive export strategy. A national battery-minerals ESG standard, digital traceability systems, independent third-party audits, and structured community development agreements would position Zimbabwe as a supplier of low-carbon, ethically verified materials-precisely what global OEMs and gigafactories are demanding.

 

 Zimbabwe’s opportunity is historic, but it requires strategic courage

Zimbabwe has reached a defining moment. Its geological wealth is not in doubt, it is among the few nations capable of producing nearly every major battery mineral.

Yet geology is only the starting point. Industrial capability, infrastructure, regulatory stability, and strategic coordination will determine whether this mineral endowment transforms into national prosperity.

For Government, the priority is to create a coherent industrial vision integrating mining, energy, water, transport, skills development, and international partnerships.

For investors, Zimbabwe represents a rare multi-commodity frontier with significant first-mover advantages in midstream battery-materials processing. For regional partners and development finance institutions, the country offers a central node for a continental battery-supply platform that could redefine Africa’s role in global electrification.

The global race to secure battery supply chains is accelerating.

Those who move decisively will dominate the next industrial era. Zimbabwe has the resources, the geography, and the strategic potential.

What remains is the leadership, coordination, and industrial commitment required to convert mineral wealth into transformation.

The global window for securing battery supply chains is narrowing. Those who act now will shape the next industrial era. Zimbabwe has the minerals. It now needs the strategy and execution to match.

Paul Matshona is a Mining Engineer and Researcher at the Zimbabwe School of Mines, specialising in sustainable mining systems, environmental governance, ESG, responsible mining, and de-risking strategies for small and medium-scale mining operations.

Martin January is a Financial and Mining Engineer, and Training & Operations Manager at the Zimbabwe School of Mines, focusing on financial modelling, operational efficiency, technical and financial valuation, and capacity-building in the mining sector.