Zimbabwe: Bikita Minerals Turns to Processing in U.S.$1bn Expansion Push

What the report says

Bikita Minerals, the Zimbabwean lithium miner led by Chinese-owned Sinomine, is moving deeper into mineral processing as part of a planned expansion that the company says could push total investment beyond US$1 billion by 2027. The report, published by 263Chat and distributed by AllAfrica, says the project is aimed at converting more of Zimbabwe’s lithium into higher-value products rather than exporting raw or lightly processed material.

According to assistant general manager Thomas Mufumi, the company has already put more than US$380 million into beneficiation projects. A major element of the plan is a US$400 million lithium sulphate plant expected to be finished in the second quarter of 2027. The article also says Bikita Minerals plans to raise capacity at one spodumene processing circuit from two million tonnes to 3.3 million tonnes of ore a year, while continuing work on tantalum extraction.

The expansion fits into Zimbabwe’s wider push to build a domestic minerals-processing sector and keep more value inside the country. Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe general manager Dr. Nomusa Jane Moyo said such investment could support jobs, technology transfer and broader economic activity beyond mining.

The report also notes risks tied to volatile lithium prices and uncertain demand, with Mufumi calling for a review of taxes and deductions affecting producers. Bikita Minerals says it employs about 1,400 people directly and more than 2,000 including contractors, and supports community projects in electrification, schools, clinics and roads.