Zimbabwe is considering using its vast natural resources to fund road and railway construction projects with China, finance minister Mthuli Ncube said on Wednesday. The southern African nation, Africa’s top lithium producer, has significant mineral resources. But years of economic mismanagement and political turmoil have left its infrastructure severely underdeveloped. The African Development Bank estimates Zimbabwe needs about $34-billion to modernise its transport and logistics networks.

Zimbabwe is exploring mineral-backed financing with China to fund roads and railways while pushing ahead with a 2027 lithium concentrate export ban

Zimbabwe is considering using its vast natural resources to fund road and railway construction projects with China, finance minister Mthuli Ncube said on Wednesday. The southern…

Zimbabwe lithium is now shipped as processed sulphate, not raw ore, after a $400m Chinese-built plant and an export ban aimed at keeping value at home.