24 Jul 2026

Zimbabwe recorded a sharp increase
in mineral export earnings during the first half of 2026, with the
Minerals Marketing Corporation of Zimbabwe (MMCZ) facilitating exports
worth US$2.532 billion, representing an 84 percent rise from the
US$1.376 billion achieved during the corresponding period last year.
The strong performance has been attributed to sustained international
demand for minerals, improved commodity prices, and the continued
implementation of the country's mineral beneficiation and value addition
strategy, according to MMCZ.
“The US$2.532 billion recorded demonstrates the impact of the
beneficiation and value addition policy. Based on the market trends and
performance of our key mineral commodities, we are confident of
surpassing our projected annual revenue this year,” Moyo said in a
statement on the Corporation’s H1 performance.
Platinum group metals (PGM) matte remained the corporation's leading
export product, accounting for 33.93 percent of total export earnings.
It was followed by spodumene concentrates at 26.57 percent and PGM
concentrates at 13.73 percent.
Combined, the three mineral products generated more than 74 percent of
total export revenue, underlining Zimbabwe's growing importance as a
supplier of platinum group metals and critical minerals that are
essential for the global energy transition.
MMCZ also identified lithium sulphate as an emerging value-added export,
noting that the product undergoes substantial local processing before
shipment, enabling the country to capture greater value within the
battery minerals supply chain.
“The corporation views this development as an important step towards
establishing Zimbabwe as a regional hub for battery mineral processing,”
said Moyo.
The corporation said continued expansion in electric vehicle
manufacturing and energy storage technologies was sustaining global
demand for lithium, creating favourable long-term prospects for
Zimbabwe's mining sector.
Moyo pointed out the results demonstrated Zimbabwe’s mineral sector was
progressively transitioning from exporting raw minerals towards
higher-value processed mineral commodities.
“The results confirm that success in the mineral sector is no longer
measured simply by export volumes, but by the value realised from every
tonne exported. We are increasingly exporting products such as
ferrochrome, steel, polished granite slabs, and lithium sulphate, which
command significantly higher values than unprocessed minerals. This
aligns with the Government’s Vision 2030 objective of accelerating
beneficiation, industrialisation and sustainable economic growth,” she
said.
In addition to facilitating exports, MMCZ said it was strengthening
mineral accountability and protecting national revenue through improved
contract monitoring, price verification, mineral valuation and
inspection systems.
“MMCZ is investing in digitalization and laboratory capacity to improve
transparency, traceability and mineral accounting across the export
value chain. These investments are expected to further safeguard
national mineral revenue while improving the efficiency and integrity of
Zimbabwe’s minerals marketing system,” Moyo said.
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