Authorities in Zimbabwe on Thursday turned back trucks carrying lithium at the key Forbes Border Post, enforcing a newly announced ban on the export of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates.
The ban, which took effect immediately, was declared in the “national interest,” according to Mines Minister Polite Kambamura. State media reported that long queues of trucks formed at the border crossing into neighboring Mozambique as drivers awaited further instructions from their companies.
Officials from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the country’s mining regulator were deployed to enforce the ban, alongside a heavy police presence.
Zimbabwe holds Africa’s largest lithium reserves and has been exporting much of its production to China for processing into battery-grade materials. However, as global demand for rare earths and strategic minerals grows — driven by their use in smartphones, renewable energy systems, and military equipment — producing nations are increasingly tightening supply controls.
The government says the move aims to promote local refining and processing, create jobs, and increase state revenue by capturing more value within the country.
Source: TRT AFRICA
