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Exports of lithium have begun from a number of recently-developed processing plants – many operated by Chinese companies – as Zimbabwe looks to better exploit its large resources of a vital energy transition mineral. However, recent figures show overall production has been declining this year, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has appointed the little-known Edgar Moyo as his energy and power development minister in a new, bloated cabinet – in which the re-elected president stirred up a storm by naming his son David Kudakwashe Mnangagwa (Kuda) as deputy finance minister and his nephew Tongai Mnangagwa as deputy tourism and hospitality minister.

Zimbabwe’s President Emmerson Mnangagwa has been sworn in for a second five-year term after an election widely condemned as flawed. The fallout could stifle efforts to put the economy back on track and undermine his plans to reengage with the world, writes Nicholas Makombe.

Local developer Tatanga Energy and Spain’s Enerfin are co-developing a 100MW wind plant in the Guruve-Mazowe region of Mashonaland Central province. If commissioned, it would be Zimbabwe’s first large-scale wind farm.

Old Mutual Zimbabwe has poured millions of dollars into renewable energy projects, showing local solutions can be found to support a new generation of developers in a market where local institutional investors and foreign capital are reluctant to fund energy schemes.

Control over African mineral reserves means governments now hold a lot of the cards in negotiating with corporations and political leaders, during a period of rising global demand and shifting power balances. Industry players now argue that more equitable partnerships may finally be on the table.

The Cygnum Capital-managed Facility for Energy Inclusion has advanced a $30m loan to Equator Energy to help the Nairobi-headquartered C&I developer grow its business across Africa.

President Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced that Zimbabwe will hold its anticipated general election on 23 August.

As Zimbabwe’s general election approaches, experts are complaining that its energy laws and policies are outdated and need extensive review to promote increased investment in renewable energy.

In the run up to the 2018 election, Zimbabwe's ruling Zanu-PF promised to increase electricity generation capacity and end load-shedding. The reality has been power cuts lasting over 16 hours. But despite this, the Zanu-PF government says it has a solution to the electricity supply crisis.

With elections due in August, the ruling Zanu-PF’s grip on power is being threatened by electricity shortages, corruption and soaring inflation. However, critics say an uneven electoral playing field still favours the incumbent, writes Tonderayi Mukeredzi in Harare.

Establishing a reliable financial framework for building cross-border power interconnections may be the single most effective way to improve electrification across sub-Saharan Africa. Yet bureaucratic impediments are holding up progress at an important scheme, the Southern Africa Power Pool (Sapp)’s Regional Transmission Infrastructure Financing Facility (RTIFF), which could implement its first projects in two to three years – with the right support.

Australian Securities Exchange-listed Invictus Energy has established the existence of light oil, gas condensate and helium at its Cabora Bassa oil and gas exploration project in Muzarabani, in northern Zimbabwe.

The rapid development of five lithium projects bodes well for Zimbabwe’s potential as a minerals exporter and demonstrates China’s central role in mineral developments, as Harare takes steps to promote domestic processing industries. But serious governance concerns remain over artisanal mining and customs-evading exports.

A surge of new mining projects in Zimbabwe – encouraged by a government keen to raise more export revenues – is leading to a rapid increase in demand for electricity, but persistent supply deficits threaten to derail the ambitious plans for the sector.