Zimbabwe Mining Boom to Create 100,000 Jobs as Lithium Processing Starts

Zimbabwe’s mining sector is planning its largest recruitment drive in years, targeting up to 100,000 new jobs over the next five years as investment surges in gold, lithium, platinum and chrome projects. The industry, which already employs about 60,000 people and contributes roughly 14.5% of GDP and more than 45% of foreign‑currency earnings, is being propelled by rising global demand for minerals used in electric vehicles and energy storage. The expansion aligns with the country’s Vision 2030 agenda to transform Zimbabwe into an upper‑middle‑income economy through industrialisation and mineral beneficiation.

In parallel, the government is shifting toward lithium value‑addition. Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe, a subsidiary of China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, shipped the first lithium sulphate from the $400 million Arcadia mine after Harare expedited its ban on raw mineral exports. The plant can produce 50,000 tonnes of lithium sulphate per year, and Chinese investors have poured more than $1.4 billion into mines and refineries to meet the new rules and avoid a 10% export tax. Prospect Lithium called the shipment a “landmark achievement” and said it “underscores the country’s emergence as a key player in the global lithium value chain.”