Market intelligence and perspectives.

Zimbabwe holds firm on January 2027 lithium concentrate export ban

Government has rejected industry calls for more time, saying lithium producers have had ample notice of the January 2027 deadline for ending concentrate exports in favour of local processing.

Lithium overtakes platinum as Zimbabwe's top mineral export after gold

Lithium sales reached about US$2.16 billion in the first nine months of 2026, helping lift non-gold mineral export earnings to US$4.74 billion, roughly double a year earlier, according to the Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe.

ZIDA shifts focus from licences to project delivery

The investment agency says it will put more weight on converting approvals into operating projects, reporting 481 new licences and 359 renewals between January and August 2026.

Record tobacco harvest, but lower prices prompt calls to diversify

Growers delivered over 357 million kg in the 2026 season, a record, but the average price fell to US$2.49 per kg from about US$3.30 a year earlier. China took 34% of export volume.

ZIDA approves US$1.59bn in Q2 2026 investments, mining leads

The Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency issued 284 new investment licences in Q2 2026, worth approximately US$1.59 billion — mining secured 86 licences worth US$768.5 million, followed by manufacturing with 43 licences worth US$496.7 million.

Mid-term budget holds 5% growth forecast, rules out supplementary budget

Treasury says the 2026 budget is adequate through year-end without a supplementary allocation, and reports inflation averaging 4.2% over the first seven months of the year.

China duty-free access for Zimbabwean exports runs to April 2028

Qualifying Zimbabwean products can enter China duty-free under 8,949 tariff lines from 1 May 2026, with ZimTrade issuing certificates of origin and ZIMRA verifying compliance with rules of origin.

Zimbabwe posts strongest export month on record in June 2026

Merchandise exports rose 63.1% month-on-month to US$1.442 billion, driven by a record US$583.4 million in semi-manufactured gold exports, according to ZIMSTAT's external trade statistics.