Chitando to attend African Mining Week

Published: 12 hours ago

Mines and Mining Development Minister Winston Chitando has confirmed his participation in the upcoming African Mining Week (AMW), scheduled to take place from October 1 to 3, 2025, in Cape Town, South Africa. The event, which runs alongside the African Energy Week: Invest in African Energies 2025 conference, serves as a key platform for exploring investment opportunities and development in Africa's mining sector.

According to a statement issued by Energy Capital & Power, Minister Chitando will join other African ministers at the high-level ministerial forum themed "From Extraction to Transformation: African Governments Driving Beneficiation and Value Addition." The forum will highlight national strategies aimed at boosting local value addition and increasing mineral resource revenues across the continent.

During AMW 2025, Chitando is expected to showcase Zimbabwe's progress in advancing local content policies and prioritizing community development. The government is currently reforming its Mines and Minerals Amendment Bill to make community investment mandatory for mining companies, ensuring that mining activities deliver tangible social and economic benefits to local populations.

The conference will also highlight Zimbabwe's expanding mineral processing capabilities, with a particular focus on the lithium sector. Since the government imposed a ban on raw lithium exports in December 2022, the country has attracted over US$1 billion in new lithium processing investments. These include significant investments in the Sandawana lithium mine, which boasts a three-million-tonne-per-year capacity, as well as upgrades to the Bikita Lithium Mine by Sinomine Resources and the establishment of a new processing facility in Mutoko by Rwizi Rukuru. Additionally, ZHEJIANG Huayou Cobalt has made a substantial investment at the Arcadia lithium facility.

Zimbabwe is also making strides in integrating mining with broader industrial production. In March 2025, the country launched the US$3.6 billion Palm River Energy Metallurgical Special Economic Zone and Industrial Park in Beitbridge. This large-scale project includes a 100,000-tonne ferrochrome smelting plant, a 1,200MW coal-fired power station, and a 7-million-tonne-per-year coal mine.

The nation's gold industry is equally promising, with an output target of 40 tonnes for the year. Encouraging results from Kavango Resources' drilling program at Prospect 3 of the Hillside Gold Project in Matabeleland province further underscore Zimbabwe's growing potential as a gold producer.

Minister Chitando's participation in African Mining Week will underscore Zimbabwe's commitment to enhancing beneficiation, boosting local industry, and attracting investment to transform the country's mining sector and drive inclusive economic growth.
- newsday

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