Mozambique | Africa’s largest lithium producer begins using Maputo to export metal

Zimbabwe, one of Africa’s largest lithium producers, has started exporting the metal through the Port of Maputo in Mozambique to reduce costs and ensure the country’s economic development, the Zimbabwean railway company announced Wednesday. The new route, exporting lithium concentrate via Maputo, results from a partnership between the National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) and the Beitbridge Bulawayo Railway (BBR), the Zimbabwean railway company indicated in a note reviewed by Lusa. “The first train, carrying 1,000 tons of lithium concentrate, departed Tuesday from BBR’s West Nicholson siding, which was recently commissioned,” the statement reads.

According to the railway company of the African nation—the largest producer and holder of Africa’s largest lithium reserves—BBR will transport the product along a 180-kilometer stretch from Gwanda, where the lithium mine is located, to Beitbridge. At that point, NRZ will take over the cargo, hauling it another 300 kilometers to Chicualacuala in southern Mozambique. “NRZ is fully committed to fulfilling its role as a bulk freight carrier, thereby ensuring that the country’s ongoing economic development does not slow down,” it concluded.

A source from Ports and Railways of Mozambique (CFM) confirmed to Lusa today the entry of the first Zimbabwean lithium train into the country, noting that the enterprise maintains contact “with the cargo owners.” CFM also operates more than 230 kilometers of railway lines inside Zimbabwe for freight transport across two corridors, resulting from cross-border agreements with NRZ. The Mozambican state utility explained in April that the framework covers the southern corridor, between Chicualacuala and Rutenga (spanning 148 kilometers), and the central corridor, between Machipanda and Nyazura (spanning 84 kilometers).