A Chinese firm, Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt Co Ltd, says it will employ hundreds of Zimbabweans during the construction and production phases of the Arcadia lithium project.
Huayou announced the acquisition of the US$372 million Arcadia lithium project from Prospect Resources Plc and minority shareholders on 20 April 2022.
The firm committed to investing US$300 million to develop the mine and construct a processing plant over the next 12 months.
On Friday, 19 May, Huayou said the mine will have capacity to treat about 4.5 million tonnes of ore per annum.
This translates to about 400 000 tonnes of lithium concentrate per annum. The company said:
Huayou estimates that there will be more than 600 Zimbabweans employed during the construction phase while direct employment during the production phase will be between 700 and 900 employees.
… There will be a focus on training and development, as well as finding suitable graduates from universities in Zimbabwe for attachment programmes.
Huayou has already invested in a local school, Vhuta, which is near the mine site as part of its corporate social responsibility.