Zimbabwe is betting that its move into lithium processing will finally break the cycle of digging and shipping ore that has defined its mining sector for decades. This follows the export of the continent’s first consignment of lithium sulphate by Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe, a subsidiary of China’s Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt, from its US$400 million Arcadia mine near Harare last month. The milestone came after Harare unexpectedly brought forward its ban on raw mineral exports to February this year to.