Post by Mondo Internazionale

📢 A new analysis in the OSEI Observatory is out! 🔋 Zimbabwe sits at the heart of the global energy transition. As Africa's leading lithium producer, the country has become a strategic destination for foreign investment, particularly from China. Yet a crucial question remains: who actually benefits from the lithium boom? While the government has embraced a strategy of "Resource Nationalism 2.0" to increase domestic value creation and reduce dependence on raw mineral exports, persistent challenges continue to undermine inclusive development. Colonial-era legislation, weak institutional frameworks, corruption, and the marginalisation of artisanal miners have limited the ability of local communities to benefit from the sector's growth. 📊 Today, mining contributes 14% of Zimbabwe's GDP and 75% of export revenues, while Chinese actors control roughly 90% of the mining sector. At the same time, the country is attempting to move up the value chain through local lithium processing and export restrictions on raw minerals. Can critical minerals become a driver of sustainable and inclusive development, or do they risk reproducing old patterns of dependency and exclusion? 🔍 Read the full analysis here https://lnkd.in/dAmiBPux Author: Filippo Valicenti - Junior Researcher #Zimbabwe #Lithium #CriticalMinerals #EnergyTransition #Geopolitics #Mining #EconomicDevelopment