Economic Development

On the 10 June 2025, the Zimbabwean government announced that it would ban the export of lithium concentrate, with the ban is scheduled to take effect from January 2027. Zimbabwe, Africa’s largest lithium producer, has positioned lithium at the centre of its economic transformation agenda as global demand for battery minerals accelerates due to the expansion of electric vehicles and renewable energy storage technologies. This update examines Zimbabwe’s evolving lithium policy as the government seeks to maximise national benefits through export bans and domestic beneficiation requirements. It analyses the rationale, timelines and political economy of the proposed bans on lithium ore and concentrate exports, while interrogating the ownership structures of dominant Chinese firms such as Sinomine and Zhejiang Huayou Cobalt.

The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has the potential to grow beyond just reducing tariffs. Its success depends on the movement of people, not just goods. Africa needs to develop a shared continental identity, which can ultimately lead to a more integrated free trade area. The African Union recognized this when it created the 2018 Protocol on the Free Movement of Persons, which has experienced slower rates of adoption and ratification (Hirsch, 2021). The free movement of individuals is considered crucial for achieving the objectives of the AfCFTA and promoting regional integration. Lessons from other regional integration models, such as the European Union, may provide valuable insights into overcoming challenges and advancing the free movement agenda. These examples highlight that trust, cultural exchanges, and familiarity are crucial to a better integrated African free trade Area.

The Blog Symposium is therefore a collective intellectual journey across Africa’s diverse regions, from north to south, west to east. It reflects a multiplicity of perspectives, backgrounds, and academic traditions, united by a shared commitment to Africa’s economic integration and transformation. This could have not been possible without the assistance, advise and support of Prof Olabisi Akinkugbe and the whole AfronomicsLaw team. We are grateful for this platform which is making an unprecedented contribution in amplifying African voices in the space of international (economic) law.

It could be boldly stated that Collins Ajibo, through his book titled The African Continental Free Trade Area Agreement: Legal and Policy Frameworks, sets out to fill this gap. The book provides a comprehensive assessment of African economic integration through the lens of International Economic Law. Its analysis is contextualised within the prevailing regional economic integrations, the WTO and the peculiarity of the AfCFTA. It also illustrates the complex interplay of diverse factors that shape the AfCFTA. In doing so, the book accomplishes these by providing interpretative guidance on the AfCFTA; providing guidance to traders, investors, and businesses to optimise opportunities afforded by the AfCFTA; and proffering suggestions to make the AfCFTA successful, that is to achieve sustainable development, Sustainable Development Goals, and other extant objectives. However, the book notes that the realisation of the above objectives is hugely dependent on the low development dynamics.

The News and Events category publishes the latest News and Events relating to International Economic Law relating to Africa and the Global South. Every week, Afronomicslaw.org receive the News and Events in their e-mail accounts. The News and Events published every week include conferences, major developments in the field of International Economic Law in Africa at the national, sub-regional and regional levels as well as relevant case law. News and Events with a Global South focus are also often included.

The Law and Development Institute and the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa, William S. Richardson School of Law will co-host the 2025 Law and Development Conference.

March 11, 2024

BII Sells Stake in I&M Group to East Africa Growth Holding for $65 Million

Episode Seven: Featuring Chioneso Samantha Kanoyangwa and John P. Maketo discussing the 2022 Zimbabwe Coalition of Debt & Development (ZIMCODD), case against The Minister of Finance & Economic Development and the consent orders obtained in March 2023.