GERMANY’S Ambassador to Zimbabwe, Christoph Retzlaff, has thrown his weight behind Zimbabwe’s push for mineral beneficiation and value addition, saying Europe is ready to support industrialisation efforts that move the country away from exporting raw minerals.
He was speaking during the a meeting with the press in Harare Monday, ahead of the Europe Day celebrations set for Friday which was attended by ambassadors from Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Netherlands and Greece.
Retzlaff was asked for his reaction to the recent indefinite ban on the export of raw materials.
Zimbabwe initially intended to enforce the raw lithium export ban in 2027, but started implementing the policy earlier to immediately cover all raw minerals amid a surge in production and export licence applications by mining firms.
The ambassador however said that sudden policy shifts without prior engagement risk unsettling investors and damaging confidence in Zimbabwe’s mining sector.
“If a country goes for value addition in the industrialisation process, that is something we from the European and Germany side support and it is a long time not only extracting and exporting raw materials but value addition on the ground.
“The EU is very active, we have a couple of MoUs with other African countries on critical and raw minerals, not yet here with Zimbabwe, but value addition is a good thing.
Retzlaff said while the European Union supports beneficiation investors also require policy consistency, transparency and predictability.
“If investors and embassies read about this policy on the morning that it is introduced, it is a problem for many investors. That is what I mean with predictability and transparency and that is what we are hearing from many investors,” he said.
His remarks come two months after Zimbabwe announced tighter restrictions on raw mineral exports, a move that has reportedly piled pressure on Chinese mining companies operating in the country.
The government recently accelerated plans to ban the export of lithium concentrates and other raw minerals as part of efforts to force miners to invest in local processing and beneficiation industries arguing that exporting unprocessed minerals deprives the country of jobs, technology transfer and higher export earnings.
The European Union remains one of Zimbabwe’s key development and trade partners, with cooperation spanning governance, agriculture, health, climate programmes and economic development initiatives.
