Bikita Minerals, which is 100 percent owned by Sino Mine Resource Group, has claimed that it now directly employs 1 407 people, but the figure rises to over 2 000 if people employed by contracted companies are counted. The company claims that prior to its takeover by the Shenzhen-listed Sino Mine Resource Group back in 2022, less than 300 people were directly employed. Bikita Minerals mines lithium, a key ingredient in the manufacture of lithium-ion batteries which are critical for solar energy systems as well as plug-in hybrid and electrical vehicles.