Zimbabwe's Minister of Mines Joins African Mining Week 2025
Minister Chitando will join African mining ministers at the high-level Ministerial Forum, which will spotlight investment opportunities across Africa's mining jurisdictions. Themed, From Extraction to Transformation: African Governments Driving Beneficiation and Value Addition, the forum will feature presentations from ministers on national strategies to enhance local value addition and increase mineral resource revenues.
African Mining Week serves as a premier platform for exploring the full spectrum of mining opportunities across Africa. The event is held alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 conference from October 1-3 in Cape Town. Sponsors, exhibitors and delegates can learn more by contacting sales@energycapitalpower.com.
With Minister Chitando's participation, AMW 2025 will showcase how Zimbabwe is making strides in advancing local content policies and prioritizing community development. The government is reforming its Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill to make community investment mandatory for mining firms, ensuring that mining activities translate into direct social and economic benefits for local populations.
Beyond community development, AMW 2025 will explore how the country is strengthening its mineral processing capabilities, particularly in the lithium sector. Following the December 2022 ban on raw lithium exports, the country has attracted over $1 billion in new lithium processing investments. Notable developments include the $310 million investment by British and Chinese firms at the 3-million-ton-per-year Sandawana lithium mine; a $300 million upgrade to the Bikita Lithium Mine by Sinomine Resources; a new 300-ton-per-day processing facility in Mutoko by Rwizi Rukuru; and a further $300 million investment by ZHEJIANG Huayou Cobalt at the Arcadia lithium facility. In a broader move to integrate mining with industrial production, Zimbabwe launched the $3.6 billion Palm River Energy Metallurgical Special Economic Zone and Industrial Park in March 2025. Located in Beitbridge, the project comprises a 100,000-ton ferrochrome smelting facility, a 1,200 MW coal-fired power plant, and a 7-million-ton-per-year coal mine.
In addition to lithium, Zimbabwe is advancing its gold industry, seeking to increase gold production to 40 tons in 2025. This builds on a 21.22% growth to 36.48 tons in 2024. The upward trend is supported by new discoveries, including positive results from Kavango Resources' drilling program at Prospect 3 of the Hillside Gold Project in Matabeleland Province, signaling Zimbabwe's growing gold potential.
In the platinum group metals (PGM) sector, the country targets greater investment and development. With the world's second-largest platinum reserves and high-grade chromium ores, Zimbabwe is working with global partners to enhance its production capacity. Karo Platinum is advancing its new Ngezi platinum mine, targeting 226,000 ounces per annum. Earthworks were completed in May 2025, and the company is currently seeking $140 million in funding to finalize the project. Meanwhile, Anglo American continues its expansion efforts at the Unki Mine, reinforcing Zimbabwe's position as a key player in the global PGM market.
AMW represents an ideal platform for Minister Chitando to attract strategic partnerships and investment, further anchoring Zimbabwe's transition from mineral extraction to value-driven industrialization.
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Energy Capital&Power.
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