In a move that aligns with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s call for value addition and beneficiation of the country’s vast mineral resources, local company Verify Engineering has ventured into lithium battery production.

Zimbabwe, boasting Africa’s largest lithium reserves, recently banned raw lithium exports, citing losses of US$1.8 billion due to smuggling.

Verify Engineering, a state-owned company established in 2005 under the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education, has a history of technological development in Zimbabwe.

The company is already involved in oxygen production, exporting much of its output to neighboring countries like Mozambique.

“They are now working on new ventures; they are now into lithium battery production. It is still in its infancy, but we want to graduate to lithium batteries and eventually electric vehicle batteries,” said Fanuel Tagwira, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Higher and Tertiary Education.