In the global lithium production landscape, China is working to secure a stable supply of lithium. While lithium producers such as Australia have been developing their own plans for the key mineral, China is actively pursuing partnership opportunities in places such as Africa, according to S&P Global Commodities. In northwestern Zimbabwe, a new lithium processing facility built by a Chinese company is quickly revitalizing a mine that had been abandoned for about 30 years. Kamativi lithium mine in Matabeleland North province will be mined and processed in phases. The first phase of the project has been completed and put into production, and the second phase is expected to be put into production in June. Analysts note that these new lithium processing plants in Zimbabwe, driven by Chinese companies, as well as those in Mali, Ethiopia, the Congo and others coming on stream, will roughly triple Africa's ore lithium production in 2024 compared to 2023. The Kamativi lithium mine is a joint venture between a company owned by China's Yahwa Group and the local Delford Mining Company.

YAHUA said, "Backed by Zimbabwe's rich lithium resources and YAHUA's historical legacy in hard rock lithium mining, we are looking forward to and confident in further increasing our investment in Zimbabwe's mining industry."

The opening of a new lithium supply chain is good news for China, and good news for the African countries involved.