HARARE - Zimbabwe has suspended exports of ‌all raw minerals and lithium concentrates with immediate effect, its mines ministry said in a statement on Wednesday, ​after the government alleged malpractices and leakages.

The ministry said the ban on exports would remain in place until ​further notice ​and applied to all minerals currently in transit.

"Government expects cooperation of the mining industry on this measure which has been taken in the national interest," the statement ⁠said.

"Government remains committed to ... in-country value addition and beneficiation, compliance, and accountability in the exportation of Zimbabwe's mineral resources," it added.

In a letter seen by Reuters on Wednesday and addressed to Zimbabwe's Chamber of Mines, which represents major mining companies, the mines ministry said it ​would realign export processes ‌due to ⁠concern about "continued malpractices ⁠during the exportation of minerals".

"This review is part of a broader effort to curb leakages and enhance efficiency ​within our systems," the ministry wrote on February 17.

Zimbabwe's ban ‌on lithium concentrates was previously expected to come into effect ⁠in 2027 as part of a push for more local processing.

Africa's top producer of the battery mineral exported 1.128 million metric tons of lithium-bearing spodumene concentrate in the year ended December 2025, up 11% from the year before.

The southern African country has rapidly expanded spodumene output in recent years following significant investment by Chinese mining firms including Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt , Sinomine, Chengxin Lithium Group and Yahua.

Most of the concentrate is exported to China for further processing into battery-grade materials, but Zimbabwe has been pressing the miners ‌to process more of the minerals in the country as it ⁠seeks greater benefits from the global shift to cleaner sources ​of energy.

Huayou recently built a $400 million plant to further process lithium concentrates into lithium sulphate, an intermediate product which can be refined into a battery-grade material such as lithium hydroxide or lithium ​carbonate.

Sinomine has ‌also announced plans to build a $500 million lithium sulphate plant at ⁠its Bikita mine in Zimbabwe.