The Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) is deeply concerned by the ongoing mass export of unprocessed lithium, with reports indicating up to 3,000 tons of ore leaving Zimbabwe daily. While we acknowledge the government’s recent announcement to ban lithium concentrate exports by January 2027, we believe this is a step in the right direction, taken too late.
By the time this policy comes into effect, over 1.6 million tons of raw lithium may have already left the country, enriching foreign interests while local communities are left behind, displaced, disenfranchised, and increasingly vulnerable.
Our latest press statement calls for immediate government action, including:
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- A moratorium on raw lithium exports,
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- An accelerated rollout of value addition and beneficiation policies, and
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- Stronger protections for communities facing environmental degradation and social dislocation.
Zimbabwe must act now to harness its lithium wealth for national development, not to deepen extraction injustices.
For further information, please contact:
📧 info@cnrgzim.org | 📞 +263 786 913 423
👉 Read the full statement below