Bikita Minerals has invested a cumulative US$383 million in mineral beneficiation projects as it expands value addition at its operations with the government describing the development as a key milestone in Zimbabwe's drive to maximise returns from its mineral wealth.

The investment was highlighted during a visit by the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services, Dr Zhemu Soda to Bikita Minerals recently.

The visit marked the first stop of a media tour of high-impact development projects in Masvingo Province.

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Dr Soda said the mining company was demonstrating how beneficiation could unlock greater economic value by creating jobs, increasing exports and supporting industrialisation.

He said Bikita Minerals had become an example of Zimbabwe's commitment to processing minerals locally rather than exporting raw materials.

Company officials told the minister that US$320 million had been invested in a spodumene beneficiation plant, US$60 million in a caesium concentrate plant and US$3 million in a tantalite concentration plant.

Addressing the media during the tour, Bikita Minerals Assistant General Manager Thomas Mufumi said the investments had transformed the company's operations and expanded the range of products being produced.

"Spodumene beneficiation is lithium concentrate beneficiation a total of $320 million has been invested, for caesium concentrate $60 million has been invested, for tantalite concentration a total of $3 million has been invested thus far.

"Cumulatively, a total investment of $383 million has been invested. This plant has a capacity of producing an excess of 72 tonnes of tantalite niobium per year with a processing capacity in excess of 1.5 million tonnes of feed. These are low grade feed ores but with further research and development we now extract even from low value ores, this quite a significant step in beneficiation and gaining value from our minerals.

"Prior Bikita Minerals has been producing lithium concentrate as a sole product but as of 2025 going forward we are now producing additional caesium concentrate as well as newly tantalite concentrate.

"In terms of additional investment work at Bikita minerals, we have invested $20 million in augmenting our power grid. Further to that we have invested $2 million to support rural electrification for the Bikita, Nyika, Zaka, Gutu and surrounding areas.

"Caesium plant is a hybrid plant which first recovers lithium concentrate and the second stage recovers caesium concentrate. We are glad that we have completed the project and the plant is now employing 99 people and has a capacity to produce in excess of 5 000 metric tonnes of caesium concentrate.

"The plant has a capacity of producing an excess of 60 000 lithium concentrate. The plant also acts as a precursor concentration stage for the recovery of tantalite. This is a hybrid plant to harness all minerals of economic value," said Mufumi.

The company said the new processing facilities now allow it to recover multiple commercially valuable minerals from the same ore body improving efficiency while increasing revenue from previously low-grade deposits.

Caesium, a highly reactive metal found in lithium-bearing ores is widely used in atomic clocks because of its exceptional precision and also serves as a high-density drilling fluid in the petroleum industry.

Bikita Minerals also revealed that it is planning the construction of a lithium sulphate processing plant as part of the government's policy on value addition and beneficiation.

The plant, expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2027 is aimed at further processing lithium products before export, strengthening Zimbabwe's position in the global battery minerals value chain.

The visit formed part of the government's efforts to showcase major investments and development projects that are contributing to economic growth and industrial transformation across Masvingo Province.