The world’s largest Australian African business forum – Africa Down Under – will be held in Perth this week amid increasing investor sentiment towards that continent’s still vast untapped mineral riches.

WA Premier, the Hon Mark McGowan, will open the 1,000 strong delegate conference on Wednesday morning (September 6) at Perth’s Pan Pacific Hotel, with the Federal Foreign Affairs Minister, the Hon. Julie Bishop, delivering an address in person on Friday morning.

Some 20 government delegations will attend the three days, supported by 60 exhibitors.

Another focus at ADU 2017 is the impact this year on African-focused Australian-listed explorers and miners of some emergent and surprising sovereign risk issues. Topping the upside is the 2017 performance by the ASX’s largest African miner, South32, which has enjoyed solid share price gains on record African aluminium and manganese production.

But July’s profit sharing legislative decisions by the Tanzanian Government – historically one of the most stable mining jurisdictions across Africa – caught numerous Australian resource entities operating in Tanzania by surprise. This led to an across-the-board ASX-enforced trading halt in those entities.

Check the program on www.africadownunderconference.com