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Under govt pressure, Zimbabwean lithium miners present their refinery plans

Published

2 months ago

May 21, 2024

A Zimbabwean government official announced on Monday that four lithium mining businesses had submitted plans to produce battery-grade lithium in the country to strengthen its economy.

Zimbabwe, the continent’s leading supplier of lithium, which is used in batteries for electric cars and to store renewable energy, is encouraging miners to refine the mineral domestically. At the moment, Chinese lithium miners, who control the majority of the industry in Zimbabwe, only generate concentrates, which they export to China for additional processing.

Zimbabwe’s finance minister, Mthuli Ncube, stated in November of last year that miners had until March 2024 to submit their proposals for domestic refining.

Deputy Minister of Mines Polite Kambamura told Reuters that the government has decided to extend the deadline by two months at the request of certain miners.

“They are coming forward with plans but these are long-term plans which we are receiving. We have four large-scale producers who have come forward,” Kambamura said.

He noted that the government has not yet given the plans any thought, but he declined to identify the companies that had submitted blueprints.

Over $1 billion in investments have been made by Chinese miners, such as Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, Sinomine Resource Group, Chengxin Lithium Group, Yahua Group, Canmax Technologies, and the Tsingshan Group, in response to Zimbabwe’s some of the largest hard-rock lithium reserves in the world.

According to Huayou, it will investigate producing battery-grade lithium in Zimbabwe “only when the economic and construction conditions are right”.

According to the business, Zimbabwe lacks the natural gas, sulfuric acid, and dependable renewable energy sources required to generate lithium suitable for batteries. Nonetheless, Zimbabwe has pushed for domestic refining to profit from the anticipated rise in lithium demand as the globe moves toward greener energy sources.

“We are not going to end on concentrates, we want batteries to be manufactured here,” Kambamura said.

Related Topics:Featured lithium miners Zimbabwe Zimbabwean lithium miners

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VenturesNow

Nigeria has received $10.9 billion multi-sector investments from AfDB— Official

Published

4 days ago

July 23, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

Nigeria has received $10.9 billion from the African Development Bank (AfDB), comprising $4.9 billion in public and private sector initiatives.

AfDB Director-General of the West Africa Region, Lamin Barrow, said the bank’s Nigeria funding approvals total $10.9 billion since it started operations.

Barrow made the revelation at the Second Interactive Session and Workshop on Developing Bankable Business Proposals/Business Plans for Youths in Agriculture in Abuja on Monday.

It was part of the bank’s 60th anniversary celebrations with stakeholders. Nigeria is the AfDB’s largest shareholder, and the bank’s relationship with it has grown, Barrow said.

The AfDB invests in Nigeria’s energy, power, transport, water, and sanitation infrastructure.

“Over the last 60 years, the Bank has grown into a trusted partner and the continent’s premier development financial institution.

“Our cooperation with Nigeria has expanded over the years, especially considering that Nigeria is the largest shareholder.

“Since it started operations in the country, cumulative financing approvals have reached 10.9 billion dollars and our portfolio currently stands at 4.9 billion dollars supporting projects in the public and private sectors,” he said.

After taking office eight years ago, AfDB President Dr Akinwumi Adesina prioritized the High 5—Power, Feed, Industrialize, Integrate, and Improve Africa’s quality of life—Barrow added. He said these were accelerators for achieving the SDGs and Agenda 2063 ambitions. The projects and programs supported during this time have reportedly affected over 400 million individuals.

VenturesNow

Analysts expect Egypt’s economy to rise 4.0% in 2024/25

Published

4 days ago

July 23, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

A recent study that sampled seventeen economists by Reuters has predicted slower economic growth for Egypt in April after a $8 billion IMF accord in March.

The median projection for GDP growth in the fiscal year starting July 1 was 4%, down from 4.35% in April and 4.15% in January.

The poll predicted the GDP grew 2.9% in the fiscal year ending June 30. This is below their April and January predictions of 3% and 3.5%. Poll: 2025/26 growth should rise to 4.99%.

After the IMF agreement, Capital Economics’ James Swanston predicted slower growth due to tighter fiscal and monetary policies and a weaker pound.

“The overall net impact is that economic growth will be weaker this fiscal year, but there are reasons to be more optimistic on GDP growth from FY2025/26 onward,” Swanston said.

Egyptian tourism and Suez Canal revenue have slowed due to the Gaza crisis, which has cut Egypt’s foreign revenue by more than half.

Egypt’s planning ministry predicted 4.2% growth in 2024/25 on June 2. Analysts expect the Egyptian pound to fall to 49.50 per dollar by June 2025 and 52.50 by June 2026.

Before dropping it in March 2024, the central bank kept the pound at 30.85 per dollar. It’s roughly 48.40 per dollar.

The survey forecast 20.5% headline inflation in 2024/25 and 12.05% in 2025/26. In June, inflation dropped to 27.5% from a record high of 38.0% in September, exceeding the central bank’s objective of 5%-9%.

The analysts expect the central bank’s overnight lending rate to drop to 21.25% by June 2025 and 15.25% by June 2026.

Foreign money shortages have slowed the Egyptian economy. However, a $24 billion real estate transaction with the UAE in late February, a significant currency devaluation, and a $8 billion IMF accord in early March have mitigated that.