According to CoinMeta, the Zimbabwean government has maintained a deadline of January 2027 for the termination of lithium concentrate exports, which has prompted mining companies to accelerate the construction and commissioning of local processing facilities, as the country seeks to extract greater value from its mineral resources. The Minister of Mines and Mineral Development, Polite Kambamura, has instructed the ministry to include this deadline in the 2027 planning scheme, despite producers' claims that some processing projects may not be ready in time. Kambamura stated, "The President has instructed that starting from January 2027, Zimbabwe will only export lithium sulfate." This stance leaves little room for extensions requested by lithium producers, who argued that the industry would need until around June 2027 to complete the infrastructure required for local processing of concentrates.