STORY: Zimbabwean president commissions Chinese-built lithium processing plant to develop mining industry
DATELINE: July 7, 2023
LENGTH: 00:01:41
LOCATION: GOROMONZI, Zimbabwe
CATEGORY: ECONOMY

SHOTLIST:
1. various of the lithium processing plant
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): EMMERSON MNANGAGWA, Zimbabwean President
3. various of the lithium processing plant
4. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): EMMERSON MNANGAGWA, Zimbabwean President

STORYLINE:

Zimbabwean President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Wednesday commissioned a Chinese-built lithium processing plant at a mine in Goromonzi District, some 40 km east of the capital Harare.

The plant at one of the world's largest hard rock lithium resources, the Arcadia Lithium Mine, was constructed by the Chinese firm Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co., Ltd. from May 2022 to January this year.

It has an installed capacity to process 4.5 million tonnes of lithium ore every year, from which 450,000 tonnes of lithium concentrate will be exported.
   
SOUNDBITE 1 (English): EMMERSON MNANGAGWA, Zimbabwean President
"Lithium is the mineral of the present and future, hence its beneficiation and value addition by Prospect Lithium Zimbabwe will position our country as an emerging and competitive player in the global lithium value chain the world over. This is indeed a vote of confidence in Zimbabwe's investment climate."

In addition, Mnangagwa said the plant will not only help the country meet its mining industry target of 12 billion U.S. dollars by 2023, but also contribute to achieving the country's Vision 2030 to "fundamentally transform Zimbabwe to an upper middle-income economy."

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): EMMERSON MNANGAGWA, Zimbabwean President
"This investment will undoubtedly contribute to the mining sector targets set out in the National Development Strategy as well as our country's overall national Vision 2030."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Goromonzi, Zimbabwe.
(XHTV)