HARARE – Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt has shipped Africa's first consignment of lithium sulphate from its Zimbabwe mine, two months after the country halted exports of lithium concentrates, alleging malpractice and leakages.

"This inaugural shipment represents the first lithium salt ever produced in Zimbabwe and across Africa, marking a major step forward in regional mineral beneficiation and industrialisation," Huayou's Zimbabwe unit said in a statement posted on X late on Monday.

The company did not disclose the size of the consignment.

Huayou completed the $400-million plant in October 2025. It has the capacity to produce 50,000 metric tons annually of lithium sulphate, an intermediate product that can be refined into materials such as lithium hydroxide or lithium carbonate used in battery manufacturing.

Zimbabwe, Africa's top lithium producer, has been pressing miners operating in the country to process more of the battery metal locally as it seeks to extract more economic benefit from the mineral. It has recently imposed a 10% tax on lithium concentrate exports. The export tax does not apply to lithium sulphate.

The southern African country will ban lithium concentrate exports altogether from January 2027, but froze all exports of the concentrated mineral on February 25, saying it had noted "malpractices during the exportation of minerals".

Zimbabwe introduced lithium concentrate export quotas in April and set conditions for the resumption of exports, including the mandatory publication of mines' annual financial statements as well as labour, safety and environmental standards.

To date, Sichuan Yahua, Chengxin Lithium and Sinomine have been allocated lithium concentrate export quotas by the Zimbabwe authorities.

Huayou has not disclosed whether it had been granted a quota. The company was not immediately available to comment.

Chinese firms dominate Zimbabwe's lithium mining sector, consolidating the Asian giant's dominance of the global battery metal supply chain.

In 2025, Zimbabwe exported 1.13-million metric tons of lithium-bearing spodumene concentrate to China, accounting for about 15% of its lithium concentrate imports for the year.