As Zimbabwe’s raw lithium ban pays off, ambitions grow

Zimbabwe’s first plant to process clean-energy metal lithium — of which it is Africa’s top producer — is up and running, a milestone in its expanding drive to stop the wholesale export of its raw mineral wealth.Buoyed by the development, the small southern African country is determined to go much further in its drive for local processing of its resources, even eyeing its own production of rechargeable lithium batteries.It is part of a push by the country — and others on the continent — to add value domestically to raw materials to create jobs and lift export earnings.