RESEARCH STARTER

Zimbabwe's natural resources

Zimbabwe, located in southeastern Africa, is rich in diverse natural resources that significantly contribute to its economy. The country’s mining sector is particularly vital, generating over $2 billion annually, with gold as its most significant mineral export, bolstered by substantial reserves and production from mines like Freda Rebecca. Diamonds, discovered in the late 1990s, have also emerged as a key export, especially from the Marange fields, though illegal mining poses challenges. Additionally, Zimbabwe is a notable producer of platinum group metals, primarily extracted from the Great Dyke region, as well as a modest exporter of lithium, essential for batteries and various industrial applications.

Agriculture plays a crucial role, with tobacco being a major cash crop, accounting for a significant share of exports, despite recent declines due to global health trends and environmental challenges. Cotton production is also important, primarily driven by small-scale farmers. Zimbabwe's wildlife and natural parks bolster its tourism sector, which is the third largest contributor to the economy, providing employment and income through ecotourism. The country's rich ecological diversity supports various species and attractions, such as the iconic Victoria Falls. However, the political and economic instability has affected these sectors, highlighting both the potential and challenges within Zimbabwe's natural resource landscape.

Full Article

Zimbabwe has the second largest reserve of gold on the African continent and the second largest reserve of platinum in the world. The country also boasts the largest elephant herd in the world as well as a sizable impala herd; safari tours have historically been an important means of support for the local population.

The Country

Zimbabwe is in the southeastern corner of Africa, bordered to the north by Zambia, to the east by Mozambique, to the west by Botswana, and to the south by South Africa. In 2023, the country’s gross domestic product (purchasing power parity) was estimated at $58.583 billion. Of this amount, agriculture accounted for 27 percent, industry accounted for 47 percent, and the services sector accounted for 18.5 percent. Mining industry revenues in Zimbabwe have exceeded $2 billion per year since 2016, increasing to $9.7 billion in 2023. The mining sector of the economy employed at least forty thousand people and accounted for 80 percent of the total export revenues of the country.

Of the total land area, around half is forest, and this consists of mopane (a tree in the legume family) and dry miombo woodland. Grasslands, both low- and high-altitude types, constitute another important ecosystem. The Zambezi River, which forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is an important waterway of the country.

Gold

Gold is Zimbabwe’s most valuable mineral commodity and a central contributor to the country’s export earnings. Zimbabwe forms part of southern Africa’s ancient greenstone belts, which host numerous gold-bearing formations that have been exploited intermittently since antiquity and systematically since the late nineteenth century.

Although Africa contains a significant share of the world’s mineral wealth, Zimbabwe is a mid-tier global gold producer. In the early 2020s, Zimbabwe’s annual gold production generally ranged between 25 and 35 metric tons (27.6 and 38.6 tons), with output fluctuating in response to investment conditions, regulatory policy, and global gold prices. Gold exports increased substantially during this period, driven both by higher prices and expanded production. This made gold the country’s single largest mineral export by value.

Zimbabwe’s gold sector is characterized by a dual structure consisting of large-scale industrial mines and a vast artisanal and small-scale mining sector. Large-scale operations account for a significant share of formally recorded production and exports, while hundreds of thousands of artisanal and small-scale miners contribute a substantial portion of total output, particularly during periods of economic instability. Artisanal and small-scale mining activity includes panning in riverbeds, shallow underground mining, and the reprocessing of tailings from abandoned or inactive mines, which play an important role in rural livelihoods and pose regulatory, environmental, and safety challenges.

One of the country’s most prominent industrial operations is the Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, located near Bindura, north of Harare. The mine is among Zimbabwe’s largest and most productive gold operations and processes tens of thousands of metric tons of ore each month. Originally developed under earlier private ownership, Freda Rebecca has undergone multiple ownership and management changes and, by the early 2020s, was operated by a state-linked mining company as part of broader restructuring in Zimbabwe’s mining sector.

In addition to Freda Rebecca, Zimbabwe’s gold industry includes several other long-established mines, such as Blanket Mine near Gwanda, as well as numerous smaller operations and exploration projects. Many international mining companies that were active in Zimbabwe during the late twentieth century reduced or ended their involvement during periods of economic and political uncertainty. This lead to a greater role for domestically controlled firms and state-affiliated entities in the contemporary gold sector.

Gold mining remains economically significant for Zimbabwe in the twenty-first centurty, providing employment, foreign currency earnings, and fiscal revenue. At the same time, the sector faces persistent challenges related to infrastructure, power supply, environmental management, and the formalization of artisanal mining. As a result, gold production continues to highlight Zimbabwe’s substantial geological endowment and the broader economic and regulatory conditions shaping resource extraction.

Diamonds

In Zimbabwe, diamonds, among the world’s most precious minerals, were first discovered in 1997 at Murowa, about 40 kilometers (2.85 miles) from the town of Zvishavane in the south-central portion of the country. Three kimberlite pipes containing diamond ore were located at the site. The Rio Tinto Group, which is the third largest producer of rough diamonds in the world and also owns gold mines in Zimbabwe, opened the Murowa diamond mine in 2004. In 2015, RioZim took over operation of the mine, which processed 1.2 million metric tons (1.32 million tons) of ore in 2016.

The Marange diamond fields were the largest diamond find of the early twenty-first century, producing an estimated 76 million carats between 2010 and 2022. Subsequent reporting indicates that production continued into the mid-2020s at significantly lower levels, with official government figures suggesting annual output of roughly four to five million carats in 2023 and 2024, reflecting declining ore quality, infrastructure constraints, and tighter state control of operations. However, large-scale illegal mining has occurred during throughout the early twenty-first century and contributed to a sizable black market problem, as well as well-documented allegations of human rights abuses and state violence associated with efforts to control diamond extraction and smuggling.

Platinum

Among the world’s scarcest minerals, found at a concentration of only 0.003 part per billion in the Earth’s crust, platinum is a highly prized metal that is thirty times rarer than gold. Its properties of malleability, ductility, and corrosion resistance make it a valuable component used in many industries. Platinum is sometimes used as a component of dental fillings and as a catalyst in the catalytic converters of automobiles. It also serves a number of important functions in the manufacture of laboratory equipment such as crucibles, tongs, funnels, and combustion instruments. Additionally, platinum is valued by many people for jewelry.

Leading world producers of platinum in 2023 were South Africa—with 80 percent of the planet’s share of production—Russia, and Zimbabwe. Although Zimbabwe produces approximately only 2 percent of the world’s platinum group metals, this product is an important export for the country. Found in nickel and copper ores, platinum is also found in native deposits, including those along Zimbabwe’s Great Dyke, a geological feature that runs north to south for about 550 kilometers (341.75 miles) through the central portion of the country. Platinum deposits were found in this area in 1925, but only in more recent times has mining become profitable.

Union Carbide began trial mining between 1966 and 1975 at the Mimosa Mine, now Zimbabwe’s oldest. Obtained by Zimasco Ltd. in 1992, Mimosa processes approximately 250,000 metric tons (about 275,578 tons) of platinum per year. In 2007, 1,850 kilograms (about 4,079 pounds) of palladium and 190 kilograms (about 419 pounds) of rhodium were produced. Zimbabwe produced 15 metric tons (16.5 tons) of palladium in 2023 and between 1.5 and 1.8 metric tons (1.65 and 1.98 tons) of rhodium in 2022. According to projections, Zimbabwe’s platinum production is expected to reach approximately 15.3 metric tons (about 16.9 tons) in 2025, with potential growth toward around approximately 17.5 metric tons (about 19.3 tons) by 2027.

Lithium

Although Zimbabwe is not among the world’s top lithium producers, it has become an increasingly important exporter of lithium in the twenty-first century, particularly as Africa’s leading producer. Australia is the world’s largest producer of lithium, followed by Chile, China, and Argentina. Zimbabwe, along with Brazil, Canada, and Portugal, is among a second tier of producing countries for which lithium has become a strategically important export, driven by global demand for electric vehicle batteries and energy storage technologies.

Lithium has many uses in industry. It has been used in glass manufacturing for many years because it lowers the melting point of glass and allows for containers to be made with thinner walls as well as with lighter weight. Thermal and shock-resistant cookware is manufactured using lithium, and the metal acts as a catalyst in synthetic rubber and plastic production. Lithium carbonate in a pharmaceutical formulation provides a valuable drug for treating manic depression.

Probably the most important modern use of lithium is as a component of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-based batteries are used in nearly all mobile phones and laptop computers, as well as in electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems. Their high energy density, light weight, and long cycle life have made lithium batteries the dominant power source for modern portable electronics in the twenty-first century.

In 2023, Zimbabwe produced 3,400 metric tons (about 3,748 tons) of lithium and its lithium reserves were estimated at 310,000 metric tons (341,716.5 tons). Subsequent figures are difficult to obtain because of the continuing instability of Zimbabwe’s political and economic situation. The Bikita Mine, operated by Bikita Minerals Ltd., continues production and is known for its high-grade lithium ore into the 2020s. During the Cold War era, Bikita supplied a substantial share of lithium hydroxide used by the US Atomic Energy Commission, reportedly accounting for as much as 30 percent of its stockpile at the time.

In the mid-2020s, Zimbabwe adopted a policy aimed at increasing domestic value addition in its lithium sector by restricting the export of lower-value materials. After banning the export of raw lithium ore in 2022, the government announced that exports of lithium concentrates will be prohibited beginning in January 2027. The decision reflects a broader strategy to encourage local processing and the development of downstream industries. Under this policy, Zimbabwe does not intend to halt lithium exports entirely; rather, lithium may continue to be exported in more highly processed forms, such as lithium sulphate and potentially battery-grade lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide, as domestic refining capacity expands.

Chromium

Zimbabwe boasts more than 50 percent of the world’s reserves of chromite, from which chromium is produced, and together South Africa and Zimbabwe possess 90 percent of Earth’s supply of this valuable ore. Chromium is vital in the production of stainless steel, nonferrous (non-iron) alloys, metal-plating processes, and the manufacture of refractories. Like lithium and platinum, chromium is important as a catalyst for manufacturing processes. For the United States, the only domestic source of chromium is through recycling, so the country imports much of its needed supply from South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s major chromite mining operations are centered at Mutorashanga and the Valley Mine near Kwekwe. The chromite industry has traditionally been vertically integrated, linking ore extraction with ferrochromium production. Zimasco remained the country’s leading integrated chromite and ferrochrome producer into the 2020s, operating mines and smelting facilities. Zimbabwe Alloys International, once a major vertically integrated producer, experienced prolonged operational shutdowns in the 2010s, and its role in the sector has since diminished, contributing to a more fragmented chromite industry in the twenty-first century.

Tobacco

Zimbabwe was one of the world’s major tobacco exporters, ranking seventh, in 2009, after Brazil, the United States, India, Malawi, Italy, and China. For many years, the country ranked as one of the top tobacco producers globally, particularly during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Tobacco accounted for more than 50 percent of Zimbabwe’s agricultural export earnings during peak years, and represented a significant share of total export revenues, though this share has fluctuated substantially over time. Sales of the crop earned about seven times more than sales of corn, about twenty-two times more than cotton, and sixty times more than soybeans. Virtually all the tobacco crop (about 98 percent) is exported because there is little domestic production of cigarettes. In 2023, Zimbabwe earned approximately $1.2 billion from tobacco exports, which went mostly to China.

Tobacco production provides employment for approximately 5 percent of the country’s workforce, directly and indirectly, and also contributes to employment for those in the coal-mining, transportation, hospitality, and service sectors of the economy. Since the early 2000s, the structure of tobacco farming has shifted significantly. Most tobacco production is now carried out by tens of thousands of smallholder farmers, rather than by a small number of large-scale commercial growers. Small-scale producers account for the majority of output, while large commercial farms cultivate a smaller share of total production and land than in earlier decades.

Three types of tobacco are grown in Zimbabwe. Flue-cured tobacco is raised in the parts of the country with better rainfall totals, and this encompasses areas north and east of the capital of Harare. Burley tobacco is grown in the northeastern and eastern highland regions, where there is both good rainfall and high humidity, which is necessary for the curing of this particular type of tobacco. Oriental tobacco is grown primarily by small-scale farmers in Masvingo Province.

Most tobacco farmers practice a multi-year crop rotation system, and grow other crops within the rotation cycle. Soybeans, wheat, corn, and livestock are all produced on tobacco land, and some farmers have turned to less traditional crops such as export roses, vegetables for sale to grocery stores, coffee, and paprika. In addition to global public health campaigns to reduce tobacco use, diversification has also been driven by price volatility, climate stress, and policy efforts to reduce economic dependence on tobacco exports.

Cotton

Cotton is one of Zimbabwe’s most important agricultural exports, along with sugar, horticulture, and maize-related exports. Approximately 200,000 small farms produce about 95 to 98 percent of the cotton crop in the country. Cotton production has been highly variable due to price volatility, climate stress, and shifts in government support programs. In 2022, Zimbabwe exported approximately $147 million in raw cotton. Major export destinations included Lesotho ($67 million), South Africa ($41.3 million), Mauritius ($12.5 million), Pakistan ($9.99 million), and Indonesia ($4.91 million).

Since 1994, many small-scale cotton growers in Zimbabwe have sold their seed cotton to the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco). This company remained the largest state-linked buying, processing, and marketing operation into the twenty-first century, though its dominance has weakened at times because of financial difficulties and market reforms. Private contractors and merchants, including subsidiaries of international firms, now operate alongside Cottco, while companies such as Cargill have significantly reduced or exited direct cotton buying in Zimbabwe. The ginners and merchants of these companies provide seed, fertilizer, and pesticides to the growers on credit. In turn, the growers sign contracts promising to sell all of their cotton back to the contractors.

Large-scale cotton farming takes place in the central, northern, and eastern sections of Mashonaland, while most small-scale production is in the Gokwe, Gwanda, and Kezi areas of Zimbabwe. Smallholder production in Gokwe, in particular, accounts for a substantial share of national output. Medium- and long-staple varieties of cotton are grown on most farms, and the quality of Zimbabwean cotton is generally ranked as high, because there are relatively few contaminants and limited mechanical damage compared with some other producing regions.

Although the textile and garment industries have been well established since the 1930s in Zimbabwe, these industries and the accompanying cotton production that supports them have experienced a number of problems. Foreign currency shortages and prolonged economic instability have affected all of the country’s industries adversely, and the cotton business is no exception. The land reform program of the early 2000s disrupted large-scale commercial cotton production, and many newly resettled farmers initially lacked experience in cotton cultivation. There are also limited independent ginning facilities for smallholders, with most gins controlled by state-owned or large private contractors. Recurring droughts linked to climate variability in recent years have also negatively affected cotton as well as many other crops.

Some farmers have begun to break a law that states that all cotton stalks must be destroyed at least fifty days before the next season’s planting. These farmers have been growing cotton by using the previous year’s stalks, a practice that has led to increased infestation of pink bollworm, one of the primary cotton pests. In spite of these problems, cotton continues to be an important export crop for Zimbabwe, though assessments conducted in the 2010s and 2020s suggest it is unlikely to surpass tobacco in export value without significant improvements in yields, pricing, and downstream processing.

Other Resources

One of Zimbabwe’s most important resources is its wildlife and ecology. As of 2024, tourism was the third largest income-producing industry in Zimbabwe, employing about 200,000 people. The country has a variety of national parks, all of which host an astonishing variety of flora and fauna. Various licenses for tourists, park fees, and concessions within the parks provide income opportunities for local residents.

The national parks include Chimanimani, Chizarira, Gonarezhou, Hwange, Kazuma Pan, Mana Pools, Matusadona, Matelo, Nyanga, Victoria Falls, and Zambezi. Most of the parks host large numbers of the more common species of savanna wildlife, including roan, sable, impala, eland, cape buffalo, zebra, and elephant. Lions, leopards, and cheetahs are among the large predators that may also be seen in a few of the parks, including Gonarezhou and Kazuma Pan. Chizarira National Park also supports herds of the extremely rare black rhinoceroses. The tsessebe—a savanna antelope, and white rhinoceroses are found in Zambezi National Park. Hwange, the largest game reserve in Zimbabwe, located close to the Kalahari Desert, is home to hippopotamuses, crocodiles, brown hyenas, gemsboks, and African wild dogs as well as a large elephant herd.

Victoria Falls and Zambezi national parks are located along Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia and are visited as much for the spectacular natural wonder of waterfalls as for the diversity of wildlife. Victoria Falls actually consists of five separate falls, four within Zimbabwe and one (Eastern Cataract) in Zambia. In Zimbabwe, the Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Horseshoe Falls provide awe-inspiring views for the tourist.

Since its inception in 1989, the Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources, better known as CAMPFIRE, has provided moneymaking opportunities for local people by leasing land to tour companies. However, in order for ecotourism to continue to provide a means of support for Zimbabweans, the political situation in the country must stabilize.


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Full Article

Zimbabwe has the second largest reserve of gold on the African continent and the second largest reserve of platinum in the world. The country also boasts the largest elephant herd in the world as well as a sizable impala herd; safari tours have historically been an important means of support for the local population.

The Country

Zimbabwe is in the southeastern corner of Africa, bordered to the north by Zambia, to the east by Mozambique, to the west by Botswana, and to the south by South Africa. In 2023, the country’s gross domestic product (purchasing power parity) was estimated at $58.583 billion. Of this amount, agriculture accounted for 27 percent, industry accounted for 47 percent, and the services sector accounted for 18.5 percent. Mining industry revenues in Zimbabwe have exceeded $2 billion per year since 2016, increasing to $9.7 billion in 2023. The mining sector of the economy employed at least forty thousand people and accounted for 80 percent of the total export revenues of the country.

Of the total land area, around half is forest, and this consists of mopane (a tree in the legume family) and dry miombo woodland. Grasslands, both low- and high-altitude types, constitute another important ecosystem. The Zambezi River, which forms the border between Zimbabwe and Zambia, is an important waterway of the country.

Gold

Gold is Zimbabwe’s most valuable mineral commodity and a central contributor to the country’s export earnings. Zimbabwe forms part of southern Africa’s ancient greenstone belts, which host numerous gold-bearing formations that have been exploited intermittently since antiquity and systematically since the late nineteenth century.

Although Africa contains a significant share of the world’s mineral wealth, Zimbabwe is a mid-tier global gold producer. In the early 2020s, Zimbabwe’s annual gold production generally ranged between 25 and 35 metric tons (27.6 and 38.6 tons), with output fluctuating in response to investment conditions, regulatory policy, and global gold prices. Gold exports increased substantially during this period, driven both by higher prices and expanded production. This made gold the country’s single largest mineral export by value.

Zimbabwe’s gold sector is characterized by a dual structure consisting of large-scale industrial mines and a vast artisanal and small-scale mining sector. Large-scale operations account for a significant share of formally recorded production and exports, while hundreds of thousands of artisanal and small-scale miners contribute a substantial portion of total output, particularly during periods of economic instability. Artisanal and small-scale mining activity includes panning in riverbeds, shallow underground mining, and the reprocessing of tailings from abandoned or inactive mines, which play an important role in rural livelihoods and pose regulatory, environmental, and safety challenges.

One of the country’s most prominent industrial operations is the Freda Rebecca Gold Mine, located near Bindura, north of Harare. The mine is among Zimbabwe’s largest and most productive gold operations and processes tens of thousands of metric tons of ore each month. Originally developed under earlier private ownership, Freda Rebecca has undergone multiple ownership and management changes and, by the early 2020s, was operated by a state-linked mining company as part of broader restructuring in Zimbabwe’s mining sector.

In addition to Freda Rebecca, Zimbabwe’s gold industry includes several other long-established mines, such as Blanket Mine near Gwanda, as well as numerous smaller operations and exploration projects. Many international mining companies that were active in Zimbabwe during the late twentieth century reduced or ended their involvement during periods of economic and political uncertainty. This lead to a greater role for domestically controlled firms and state-affiliated entities in the contemporary gold sector.

Gold mining remains economically significant for Zimbabwe in the twenty-first centurty, providing employment, foreign currency earnings, and fiscal revenue. At the same time, the sector faces persistent challenges related to infrastructure, power supply, environmental management, and the formalization of artisanal mining. As a result, gold production continues to highlight Zimbabwe’s substantial geological endowment and the broader economic and regulatory conditions shaping resource extraction.

Diamonds

In Zimbabwe, diamonds, among the world’s most precious minerals, were first discovered in 1997 at Murowa, about 40 kilometers (2.85 miles) from the town of Zvishavane in the south-central portion of the country. Three kimberlite pipes containing diamond ore were located at the site. The Rio Tinto Group, which is the third largest producer of rough diamonds in the world and also owns gold mines in Zimbabwe, opened the Murowa diamond mine in 2004. In 2015, RioZim took over operation of the mine, which processed 1.2 million metric tons (1.32 million tons) of ore in 2016.

The Marange diamond fields were the largest diamond find of the early twenty-first century, producing an estimated 76 million carats between 2010 and 2022. Subsequent reporting indicates that production continued into the mid-2020s at significantly lower levels, with official government figures suggesting annual output of roughly four to five million carats in 2023 and 2024, reflecting declining ore quality, infrastructure constraints, and tighter state control of operations. However, large-scale illegal mining has occurred during throughout the early twenty-first century and contributed to a sizable black market problem, as well as well-documented allegations of human rights abuses and state violence associated with efforts to control diamond extraction and smuggling.

Platinum

Among the world’s scarcest minerals, found at a concentration of only 0.003 part per billion in the Earth’s crust, platinum is a highly prized metal that is thirty times rarer than gold. Its properties of malleability, ductility, and corrosion resistance make it a valuable component used in many industries. Platinum is sometimes used as a component of dental fillings and as a catalyst in the catalytic converters of automobiles. It also serves a number of important functions in the manufacture of laboratory equipment such as crucibles, tongs, funnels, and combustion instruments. Additionally, platinum is valued by many people for jewelry.

Leading world producers of platinum in 2023 were South Africa—with 80 percent of the planet’s share of production—Russia, and Zimbabwe. Although Zimbabwe produces approximately only 2 percent of the world’s platinum group metals, this product is an important export for the country. Found in nickel and copper ores, platinum is also found in native deposits, including those along Zimbabwe’s Great Dyke, a geological feature that runs north to south for about 550 kilometers (341.75 miles) through the central portion of the country. Platinum deposits were found in this area in 1925, but only in more recent times has mining become profitable.

Union Carbide began trial mining between 1966 and 1975 at the Mimosa Mine, now Zimbabwe’s oldest. Obtained by Zimasco Ltd. in 1992, Mimosa processes approximately 250,000 metric tons (about 275,578 tons) of platinum per year. In 2007, 1,850 kilograms (about 4,079 pounds) of palladium and 190 kilograms (about 419 pounds) of rhodium were produced. Zimbabwe produced 15 metric tons (16.5 tons) of palladium in 2023 and between 1.5 and 1.8 metric tons (1.65 and 1.98 tons) of rhodium in 2022. According to projections, Zimbabwe’s platinum production is expected to reach approximately 15.3 metric tons (about 16.9 tons) in 2025, with potential growth toward around approximately 17.5 metric tons (about 19.3 tons) by 2027.

Lithium

Although Zimbabwe is not among the world’s top lithium producers, it has become an increasingly important exporter of lithium in the twenty-first century, particularly as Africa’s leading producer. Australia is the world’s largest producer of lithium, followed by Chile, China, and Argentina. Zimbabwe, along with Brazil, Canada, and Portugal, is among a second tier of producing countries for which lithium has become a strategically important export, driven by global demand for electric vehicle batteries and energy storage technologies.

Lithium has many uses in industry. It has been used in glass manufacturing for many years because it lowers the melting point of glass and allows for containers to be made with thinner walls as well as with lighter weight. Thermal and shock-resistant cookware is manufactured using lithium, and the metal acts as a catalyst in synthetic rubber and plastic production. Lithium carbonate in a pharmaceutical formulation provides a valuable drug for treating manic depression.

Probably the most important modern use of lithium is as a component of rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. Lithium-based batteries are used in nearly all mobile phones and laptop computers, as well as in electric vehicles and large-scale energy storage systems. Their high energy density, light weight, and long cycle life have made lithium batteries the dominant power source for modern portable electronics in the twenty-first century.

In 2023, Zimbabwe produced 3,400 metric tons (about 3,748 tons) of lithium and its lithium reserves were estimated at 310,000 metric tons (341,716.5 tons). Subsequent figures are difficult to obtain because of the continuing instability of Zimbabwe’s political and economic situation. The Bikita Mine, operated by Bikita Minerals Ltd., continues production and is known for its high-grade lithium ore into the 2020s. During the Cold War era, Bikita supplied a substantial share of lithium hydroxide used by the US Atomic Energy Commission, reportedly accounting for as much as 30 percent of its stockpile at the time.

In the mid-2020s, Zimbabwe adopted a policy aimed at increasing domestic value addition in its lithium sector by restricting the export of lower-value materials. After banning the export of raw lithium ore in 2022, the government announced that exports of lithium concentrates will be prohibited beginning in January 2027. The decision reflects a broader strategy to encourage local processing and the development of downstream industries. Under this policy, Zimbabwe does not intend to halt lithium exports entirely; rather, lithium may continue to be exported in more highly processed forms, such as lithium sulphate and potentially battery-grade lithium carbonate or lithium hydroxide, as domestic refining capacity expands.

Chromium

Zimbabwe boasts more than 50 percent of the world’s reserves of chromite, from which chromium is produced, and together South Africa and Zimbabwe possess 90 percent of Earth’s supply of this valuable ore. Chromium is vital in the production of stainless steel, nonferrous (non-iron) alloys, metal-plating processes, and the manufacture of refractories. Like lithium and platinum, chromium is important as a catalyst for manufacturing processes. For the United States, the only domestic source of chromium is through recycling, so the country imports much of its needed supply from South Africa and Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe’s major chromite mining operations are centered at Mutorashanga and the Valley Mine near Kwekwe. The chromite industry has traditionally been vertically integrated, linking ore extraction with ferrochromium production. Zimasco remained the country’s leading integrated chromite and ferrochrome producer into the 2020s, operating mines and smelting facilities. Zimbabwe Alloys International, once a major vertically integrated producer, experienced prolonged operational shutdowns in the 2010s, and its role in the sector has since diminished, contributing to a more fragmented chromite industry in the twenty-first century.

Tobacco

Zimbabwe was one of the world’s major tobacco exporters, ranking seventh, in 2009, after Brazil, the United States, India, Malawi, Italy, and China. For many years, the country ranked as one of the top tobacco producers globally, particularly during the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Tobacco accounted for more than 50 percent of Zimbabwe’s agricultural export earnings during peak years, and represented a significant share of total export revenues, though this share has fluctuated substantially over time. Sales of the crop earned about seven times more than sales of corn, about twenty-two times more than cotton, and sixty times more than soybeans. Virtually all the tobacco crop (about 98 percent) is exported because there is little domestic production of cigarettes. In 2023, Zimbabwe earned approximately $1.2 billion from tobacco exports, which went mostly to China.

Tobacco production provides employment for approximately 5 percent of the country’s workforce, directly and indirectly, and also contributes to employment for those in the coal-mining, transportation, hospitality, and service sectors of the economy. Since the early 2000s, the structure of tobacco farming has shifted significantly. Most tobacco production is now carried out by tens of thousands of smallholder farmers, rather than by a small number of large-scale commercial growers. Small-scale producers account for the majority of output, while large commercial farms cultivate a smaller share of total production and land than in earlier decades.

Three types of tobacco are grown in Zimbabwe. Flue-cured tobacco is raised in the parts of the country with better rainfall totals, and this encompasses areas north and east of the capital of Harare. Burley tobacco is grown in the northeastern and eastern highland regions, where there is both good rainfall and high humidity, which is necessary for the curing of this particular type of tobacco. Oriental tobacco is grown primarily by small-scale farmers in Masvingo Province.

Most tobacco farmers practice a multi-year crop rotation system, and grow other crops within the rotation cycle. Soybeans, wheat, corn, and livestock are all produced on tobacco land, and some farmers have turned to less traditional crops such as export roses, vegetables for sale to grocery stores, coffee, and paprika. In addition to global public health campaigns to reduce tobacco use, diversification has also been driven by price volatility, climate stress, and policy efforts to reduce economic dependence on tobacco exports.

Cotton

Cotton is one of Zimbabwe’s most important agricultural exports, along with sugar, horticulture, and maize-related exports. Approximately 200,000 small farms produce about 95 to 98 percent of the cotton crop in the country. Cotton production has been highly variable due to price volatility, climate stress, and shifts in government support programs. In 2022, Zimbabwe exported approximately $147 million in raw cotton. Major export destinations included Lesotho ($67 million), South Africa ($41.3 million), Mauritius ($12.5 million), Pakistan ($9.99 million), and Indonesia ($4.91 million).

Since 1994, many small-scale cotton growers in Zimbabwe have sold their seed cotton to the Cotton Company of Zimbabwe (Cottco). This company remained the largest state-linked buying, processing, and marketing operation into the twenty-first century, though its dominance has weakened at times because of financial difficulties and market reforms. Private contractors and merchants, including subsidiaries of international firms, now operate alongside Cottco, while companies such as Cargill have significantly reduced or exited direct cotton buying in Zimbabwe. The ginners and merchants of these companies provide seed, fertilizer, and pesticides to the growers on credit. In turn, the growers sign contracts promising to sell all of their cotton back to the contractors.

Large-scale cotton farming takes place in the central, northern, and eastern sections of Mashonaland, while most small-scale production is in the Gokwe, Gwanda, and Kezi areas of Zimbabwe. Smallholder production in Gokwe, in particular, accounts for a substantial share of national output. Medium- and long-staple varieties of cotton are grown on most farms, and the quality of Zimbabwean cotton is generally ranked as high, because there are relatively few contaminants and limited mechanical damage compared with some other producing regions.

Although the textile and garment industries have been well established since the 1930s in Zimbabwe, these industries and the accompanying cotton production that supports them have experienced a number of problems. Foreign currency shortages and prolonged economic instability have affected all of the country’s industries adversely, and the cotton business is no exception. The land reform program of the early 2000s disrupted large-scale commercial cotton production, and many newly resettled farmers initially lacked experience in cotton cultivation. There are also limited independent ginning facilities for smallholders, with most gins controlled by state-owned or large private contractors. Recurring droughts linked to climate variability in recent years have also negatively affected cotton as well as many other crops.

Some farmers have begun to break a law that states that all cotton stalks must be destroyed at least fifty days before the next season’s planting. These farmers have been growing cotton by using the previous year’s stalks, a practice that has led to increased infestation of pink bollworm, one of the primary cotton pests. In spite of these problems, cotton continues to be an important export crop for Zimbabwe, though assessments conducted in the 2010s and 2020s suggest it is unlikely to surpass tobacco in export value without significant improvements in yields, pricing, and downstream processing.

Other Resources

One of Zimbabwe’s most important resources is its wildlife and ecology. As of 2024, tourism was the third largest income-producing industry in Zimbabwe, employing about 200,000 people. The country has a variety of national parks, all of which host an astonishing variety of flora and fauna. Various licenses for tourists, park fees, and concessions within the parks provide income opportunities for local residents.

The national parks include Chimanimani, Chizarira, Gonarezhou, Hwange, Kazuma Pan, Mana Pools, Matusadona, Matelo, Nyanga, Victoria Falls, and Zambezi. Most of the parks host large numbers of the more common species of savanna wildlife, including roan, sable, impala, eland, cape buffalo, zebra, and elephant. Lions, leopards, and cheetahs are among the large predators that may also be seen in a few of the parks, including Gonarezhou and Kazuma Pan. Chizarira National Park also supports herds of the extremely rare black rhinoceroses. The tsessebe—a savanna antelope, and white rhinoceroses are found in Zambezi National Park. Hwange, the largest game reserve in Zimbabwe, located close to the Kalahari Desert, is home to hippopotamuses, crocodiles, brown hyenas, gemsboks, and African wild dogs as well as a large elephant herd.

Victoria Falls and Zambezi national parks are located along Zimbabwe’s border with Zambia and are visited as much for the spectacular natural wonder of waterfalls as for the diversity of wildlife. Victoria Falls actually consists of five separate falls, four within Zimbabwe and one (Eastern Cataract) in Zambia. In Zimbabwe, the Devil’s Cataract, Main Falls, Rainbow Falls, and Horseshoe Falls provide awe-inspiring views for the tourist.

Since its inception in 1989, the Communal Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources, better known as CAMPFIRE, has provided moneymaking opportunities for local people by leasing land to tour companies. However, in order for ecotourism to continue to provide a means of support for Zimbabweans, the political situation in the country must stabilize.


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