A record contingent of 10 African mining and energy Ministers will join Australian Department of Foreign Affairs (DFAT) leaders in Perth this week for further discussions on the dramatic increase in Australia’s resources industry presence across African countries. In the largest African business lobby conference ever held in Australia, the African ministerial delegations will join Australia’s DFAT Secretary, Mr Dennis Richardson, as keynote speakers at the three-day Paydirt 2010 Africa Downunder Conference in Perth from Wednesday.

Mr Richardson will deliver the opening address to more than 1400 delegates, while South Africa’s renowned Mineral Resources Minister, the Hon Susan Shabangu, leads the African charge to win further investment attention from Australian companies.

Australia’s line-up in Perth also includes representatives from Austrade, AusAID and EFIC, the Australia Africa Mining Industry Group (AAMIG), and state presidents from all Australia Africa Business Council (AABC) chapters.The Paydirt 2010 Africa Downunder event comes at a time when the number of ASX-listed Australian explorers and miners operating across Africa has exploded from just 54 in 2003 to more than 160 currently – many of them now being owners and operators of world-class African mines or projects.

“The strength and diversity within the visiting Ministerial contingent is indicative of just how Australia’s resources companies are valued by their African counterparts in helping build that continent’s mineral wealth,” conference convenor, Mr Bill Repard, said today. “The calibre of that help has escalated rapidly in the past decade, backed by DFAT and visionary Australian explorers and miners, who recognised the strong correlation between Africa’s mineral geology and the way we explore for and commercialise our domestic mineral deposits,” Mr Repard said. “Critically, many of these Australian companies have worked with the various African regulators and political streams to help encourage workable mining incentives and project investment initiatives, while creating genuine social and employment gains within the local African communities surrounding discovered deposits.

“Much of Africa remains under-explored, there remain ongoing infrastructure challenges but these are being recognised and addressed. That is creating greater opportunity for Australian miners and explorers to enhance Australia’s mining partnership with Africa.” Mr Repard said the recent Fraser Institute’s annual worldwide survey of the attitudes of mining companies towards mining regulation and investment appeal saw African states such as Botswana (8), Ghana (21), Tanzania (23), Namibia (24) and Zambia (27) ranked in the world’s top 30 regimes in which to invest resources dollars.

“That’s a strong independent message about the gains being made by Africa as a whole to re-invent itself – with its Australian mining partners – as a modern day force in global mining,” he said. The 160 ASX listed Australian companies in Africa have a foothold in 42 of Africa’s 52 countries – a figure Mr Repard says “is sure to increase in scope and number as the African continent now offers almost limitless options for mining investment.”

“This trend is increasingly delivering a pipeline of larger-style exploration and mining undertakings, seeing in turn a more stable, competent, and confident African mining sector,” Mr Repard said.

Africa Downunder background;

The first Paydirt Africa Down under conference was held in 2003 with just 200 delegates attending. Seven times that number will attend this week’s forum in Perth, supported by a host of Australian mining suppliers and service providers. The 2010 programme, the eighth held, will include 120 booths and has had to be expanded for the first time to a three day event and 65 presentations.