Trucks carrying lithium were on Thursday turned back at a key border crossing in Zimbabwe as the authorities enforced a ban on exports of all raw minerals and lithium concentrates, the state-run media reports.
The ban announced on Wednesday was made in “national interest” and took effect immediately, Minister of Mines Polite Kambamura had said.
Securing access to rare earths and other strategic minerals has become a global priority, given their role in smartphones, green energy systems, military equipment and many other goods.
This has prompted many producing nations to tighten controls and plug leaks in their supply chains.
Zimbabwe holds the continent’s largest lithium reserves and ships much of its production to China for further processing into battery‑grade materials.
A huge queue of trucks formed at the Forbes border post, the country’s major land crossing to neighbouring Mozambique, as drivers waited for instructions from their companies, the Herald news website reports.
Officials from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the mining regulator were at the border to enforce the ban amid a heavy presence of police, the news outlet reports.
The ban aims to capture the added value of refining and processing, thus creating jobs and additional government revenue.