Coal and coking coal were similarly identified as areas with potential, particularly in supporting regional energy and steel production.
This comes as Zimbabwe is positioning less-developed mineral resources such as tungsten, kyanite, antimony, graphite, rare earths and battery-grade nickel as future investment opportunities.
“We are at the beginning of a chapter that the next decade of global demand will write, and the partners who secure a position now will be the ones who write it with us,” Dr Makwiranzou said.
He said the Government was prepared to take a minority free-carried interest in selected projects alongside committed operating partners, while other opportunities would be structured as private investments with full ownership rights.
Young Miners Foundation (YMF) chief executive officer, Mr Payne Kupfuwa, said the move gives artisanal and small-scale miners a chance to modernise their operations and make them more productive and commercially viable businesses.
He noted that increased investment in equipment and processing technology could improve gold recovery rates, reduce production losses and enhance the productivity of small-scale miners.
“Opportunities are emerging across the gold value chain, particularly in the supply of modern mining equipment, establishment of efficient processing plants and custom milling facilities, as well as financing and structured off-take arrangements,” said Mr Kupfuwa.
He said financing was another critical area, as many artisanal and small-scale miners lacked the capital required to acquire appropriate equipment and expand their operations.
“More access to affordable finance, coupled with reliable off-take arrangements, could provide miners with the confidence to invest in their operations while bringing more gold production into the formal economy,” he said.
Economic analyst, Mr Tinevimbo Shava, said Zimbabwe’s renewed push for mineral beneficiation could mark a significant shift from an extractive model towards a higher-value mining industry, but success will depend on attracting the capital, technology and infrastructure required to process minerals locally.
“Opportunities in lithium, PGMs, chrome, gold and diamonds were particularly significant, as local processing could increase export earnings, create industrial linkages and retain more mineral value within the economy.
“The opportunity is clear, but beneficiation is capital-intensive and requires reliable power, infrastructure, appropriate technology and a predictable investment environment. If these conditions are addressed, Zimbabwe could capture a much larger share of the value generated from its mineral wealth,” said Mr Shava.
The Government has identified mining as a key pillar of economic growth, but the sector continues to face pressure to move beyond mineral extraction towards greater local processing, manufacturing and export of higher-value products.
Source: Zimbabwe courts investors for minerals beneficiation – herald
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