weighted score 6.4 · nine dimensions
Country Risk Profile
Zimbabwe
Sourcing risk, regulatory exposure and audit intelligence for Zimbabwe-origin supply chains.
Forced & child labour
6
Documented child labour in artisanal gold and chrome mining. Forced labour in agriculture (tobacco). ILAB listings for gold and tobacco.
Worker rights & FOA
6
ILO C087 and C098 ratified but enforcement weak. Independent unions face political pressure. Labour courts backlogged.
OHS & audit transparency
6
Colonial-era Mines Act (1961) still governs mining sector. Artisanal mining largely unregulated. Audit access restricted in some areas.
Food & product safety
5
Tobacco exports subject to EU regulatory requirements. Mineral product safety standards variable. Limited food exports to EU.
Environmental & regulatory
6
Artisanal mining causes significant environmental damage — mercury use in gold extraction, deforestation. Environmental Management Agency capacity constrained.
Governance & anti-corruption
9
TI CPI 2025: 22. Systemic corruption across mining licensing, land allocation, and public procurement. CPI below 40 threshold.
Tariff & preferential access
5
ESA interim EPA provides limited preferential access. Mineral exports largely at MFN rates. Raw mineral export ban limits direct trade.
Non-tariff barriers
7
EU Conflict Minerals Regulation due diligence requirements. Targeted EU/US sanctions on individuals and entities. Arms embargo.
Supply chain traceability
8
Artisanal mining supply chains extremely opaque. Multi-tier mineral supply chains difficult to trace. Chain of custody certification limited.
Labour & Social Risk
Labour & Social Risk
- Forced labour risk
- Documented forced labour in artisanal mining, agriculture (tobacco), and domestic work. Children involved in artisanal gold mining and chrome extraction.
- Worker rights
- ILO C087 and C098 ratified but enforcement is weak. Independent trade unions face political pressure. Labour courts have significant backlogs.
- OHS framework
- Mining sector governed by colonial-era Mines and Minerals Act (1961). Artisanal and small-scale mining operations largely unregulated. Audit access restricted in some mining areas.
- ILAB status
- Gold and tobacco listed on US Department of Labor List of Goods Produced by Child or Forced Labor.
EU Regulatory Exposure
EU Regulatory Exposure
- Trade framework
- Zimbabwe is part of the Eastern and Southern Africa (ESA) interim EPA with the EU. Limited product coverage compared to full EPAs. Mineral exports largely subject to MFN tariffs.
- EU Conflict Minerals Regulation
- Regulation (EU) 2017/821 applies to imports of tin, tantalum, tungsten, and gold from conflict-affected areas. Zimbabwe's artisanal mining sector presents due diligence obligations for EU importers.
- Raw mineral export ban
- Government imposed a ban on export of unprocessed lithium (2022) extended to all raw minerals from February 2026. This forces value-addition domestically but limits direct EU import of unprocessed ores.
- EU sanctions
- Most EU restrictive measures against Zimbabwe were suspended or lifted between 2012-2023. Targeted sanctions remain on Zimbabwe Defence Industries. Arms embargo in place.
Logistics & Supply Chain
Logistics & Supply Chain
- Primary export corridor
- Landlocked — exports via Beira (Mozambique), Durban (South Africa), or Dar es Salaam (Tanzania) → Indian Ocean → Suez Canal → EU ports
- Key export products
- Lithium concentrates (prior to export ban), ferrochrome, platinum group metals, tobacco, gold. Mining accounts for ~75% of export value.
- Infrastructure constraints
- Road and rail infrastructure degraded after decades of underinvestment. Beira corridor rail capacity limited. Transit times unreliable.
- Typical transit time
- 25-35 days to Northwest Europe (including inland transit to port)