Zimbabwe shipped on Monday Africa's first consignment of lithium sulphate, marking a major step forward in regional mineral beneficiation and industrialization.

The inaugural consignment marks the first time the high-value battery material has ever been produced on the African continent, coming just two months after the southern African country suspended lithium concentrate exports over allegations of malpractice and mineral leakages.

The shipment was made by Chinese lithium producer Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt from its Arcadia lithium mine near Zimbabwe's capital Harare, where the company recently commissioned a $400 million processing plant.

"This inaugural shipment represents the first lithium salt ever produced in Zimbabwe and across Africa, marking a major step forward in regional mineral beneficiation and industrialization," Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe said in a statement posted on its official X account.

The subsidiary company said the first sulphate shipment is expected to boost export earnings, create skilled industrial jobs and accelerate the country's ambition to become a regional hub for battery minerals processing.

The lithium mine has the capacity to produce 50,000 metric tons of lithium sulphate annually, an intermediate product used in electric vehicle batteries and energy storage systems, which can be further refined into lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate.

In 2022, the Zimbabwean government banned exports of raw lithium ore, later increasing value-addition requirements through taxes and stricter export rules on concentrates, while allowing limited quota-based exports as producers transition to local refining.

victor@chinadailyafrica.com