BBR Corporate Communications
West Nicholson, Matabeleland South
BBR has commissioned a US$1.5 million transhipment siding at West Nicholson, marking one of the newest additions to Zimbabwe’s rail network. This week, stakeholders will witness the facility’s first lithium concentrate export shipment leave the yard — a milestone moment for both BBR and the country’s bulk minerals sector.
The shipment, moving in partnership with NRZ and Silvergill Logistics, is destined for Maputo Port in Mozambique. For BBR, it represents more than a single export — it is a demonstration of what the new siding was built to do: move Zimbabwe’s mineral wealth to international markets faster, more reliably, and at greater scale.
US$1.5m
Total Investment
Lithium
First Export Cargo
Maputo
Destination Port
BBR General Manager Mr Kumbulani Tendai Mabvura said the facility is a strategic tool in Zimbabwe’s campaign to compete in the global mineral economy, and framed this week’s shipment as a statement of intent.
“This week, the first lithium concentrate export shipment will move out of the new West Nicholson siding, a decisive moment that signals Zimbabwe’s readiness to compete head on in the international market for bulk minerals.”
Kumbulani Tendai Mabvura · BBR General Manager
Mr Mabvura described the siding as the latest proof point that BBR is not only maintaining its existing assets but actively expanding capacity, in step with the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) and its focus on implementation over intention.
“BBR’s message is uncompromising — Zimbabwe is done waiting, it’s time for implementation. We are investing, we are delivering, and we are demanding performance. The new West Nicholson siding is a bold declaration that rail is back at the centre of national logistics, and that Zimbabwe will not be side-lined in the global race for bulk minerals.”
Kumbulani Tendai Mabvura · BBR General Manager
Beyond lithium, the siding has been designed to handle iron ore, chrome, and other bulk commodities positioning it as a backbone for diversified exports across the Matabeleland region rather than a single-commodity facility.
For BBR, the investment is part of a broader strategy to restore rail’s role at the centre of bulk logistics in Zimbabwe, cutting costs and turnaround times for exporters. The company expects the facility to help boost foreign currency earnings, strengthen industrial competitiveness, and support job creation in the communities along the corridor.
The siding is also expected to ease pressure on the country’s road network by shifting bulk freight away from trucks and onto rail, a shift that supports BBR’s Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals by reducing the sector’s overall carbon footprint.