We’ll Celebrate When It Happens: Vardhaan Lithium’s Big Promise for Zimbabwe

Listen, I’m with you. The Shona have a saying that goes, “We will only be grateful once we confirm that the cattle have drunk, after spending the day with a fool.”

In the same vein, for all the mega projects we hear about, we will only celebrate when we finally see it.

Vardhaan Lithium aims to establish India’s first lithium refinery and battery manufacturing unit in Zimbabwe, focusing on mineral exploration and beneficiation in the Bikita area.

Vardhaan has partnered with Microlight Mineral Resources to form a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) called Avani Microlight for joint exploration and mining efforts.

The investment is expected to create direct employment for approximately 5,000 Zimbabweans and indirectly benefit an additional 10,000 people, contributing to Zimbabwe’s economic growth.

A skills and technology transfer program is planned, allowing Zimbabwean youth to receive training in India, enhancing local expertise in the mining sector.

Vardhaan Lithium supports Zimbabwe’s vision of becoming an upper-middle-income economy by 2030, aligning their investment strategy with national economic goals.

Needless to say, this would be a huge deal if it actually came to pass. So, fingers crossed we get to see it happen. And that the nation will benefit from it and not just a few guys from the Ministry of Mines.

To be fair though. We have seen a number of Chinese funded projects in the energy sector. However, concerns about environmental damage have only intensified even as the tax status of some of these organisations remains a mystery.