Well, good morning my friends. Thank you. And can I also start by acknowledging the traditional owners of the lands on which we meet this morning, the Whadjuk Nyoongar people. I do want to pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging. And extend that respect to any First Nations people joining us here this morning.
To all the distinguished guests in the room from across our two continents. Welcome to the beautiful city of Perth. I especially acknowledge the Prime Minister of Lesotho, His Excellency, Mr. Samuel Matekane. Thank you for your wonderful speech this morning. Prime Minister tells me that his plane is empty. My bag is packed. What a coincidence. May I also acknowledge my Ministerial counterparts from across Africa and the delegations who have travelled so far to be here. And thank you also to Paydirt Media for the invitation to speak at this year's Africa Down Under. And congratulations on yet another successful conference.
As an Egyptian-born Minister in the Australian government, it is an absolute honour to host you in my home state of Western Australia. But there is actually more to this story. I was born in Egypt. My family is from Egypt. And on my maternal side, my ancestors actually come from Central Africa. They migrated up to North Africa, to Morocco. And from there, my maternal great, great, great grandfather then went to Egypt. So, I like to say that Africa is in my blood.
And my story of coming to Australia is one that more and more Africans share. In the last 25 years alone, African immigration to Australia has quadrupled. Quadrupled.
In 1969, when I came to Australia, most immigrants from Africa came from just two countries. Egypt, which is where I was from, and South Africa. And today our African-born population comes from all over that great continent.
And indeed the electorate that I represent, the seat of Cowan, which is just in the northern suburbs here, is an incredibly diverse multicultural community. Over two-thirds of my constituents have a parent born overseas. And at the last census in 2021, more than 9,000 residents in my electorate were born in Africa.
African-born Australians are my family, they are my friends, they are my neighbours, they are the people I was elected to represent. So, Africa is important not just to me personally, not just because of my personal connection to Africa or because of the connection of my community to Africa, but it is important to Australia.
And while our ties are driven primarily and first and foremost by people-to-people connections, we also have strong business connections. And that aspect of our relationship is incredibly well represented here at Africa Down Under. Australian companies have been partners with African countries for many decades. Already around 170 ASX-listed companies have operations or are working in Africa. Their investments are creating jobs and offering new education and training opportunities. Now this trajectory is good news for the future of African communities, which we know will change profoundly in the decades to come. African nations have a young and growing labour force, and poverty is falling drastically.
And as we look to the future, mining will be a key part of Africa’s evolution. The Australian mining sector engaged in African operations is focused on environmental and social sustainability. We are trusted investors and known for our strong economic, social and governance practices. We will continue to apply these practices as we look to embrace the mining industries of the future, many of which the Prime Minister mentioned in his opening remarks. More and more, mining will harness critical minerals and operations relevant to the green non-polluting industries we know are so important for the global energy transition.
Africa is home to about a third of the world's known critical mineral supply, including nearly 90 per cent of identified chromium and platinum deposits and 40 per cent of global in-ground gold reserves. As we progress towards net zero and the race for faster microchips intensifies, these resources will only become more valuable. But mining isn't just the story of raw materials, big businesses or multinationals. Done well, it can have an enormous positive flow-on effect for communities, for small businesses and for family incomes.
When I was looking at the programme for today, I noticed a panel called "Mining as a Springboard for Local Economies and Communities". What a fantastic topic. Because while mining contributes significantly to the development of many national economies, and the revenue it generates can significantly bolster national tax systems, let's also remember that mining has huge primary and secondary economic and social benefits.
For every mining operation, there are local towns and communities that are positively impacted. A lot of the secondary benefits happen above and beyond the impacts of big national or international-scale operations, including through small businesses. That's true in Australia, and I know it's true in many of the African contexts as well. For example, the Mining Equipment Technology and Services industries or METS, is a multi-billion-dollar sector made up of big and small companies subcontracted to provide services on mine sites across Africa.
But I'm also talking about the local businesses like the restaurants or the mechanics or the retail outlets. Those businesses that service towns and villages and receive downstream benefits of mining operations. As you know, I am Australia's Minister for Small Business as well as the Minister for Multicultural Affairs and International Development. And in Australia, over 2.6 million small businesses are the backbone of our economy. In the Australian mining industry sector alone, there are more than 8,000 small businesses and nearly 93 per cent of all businesses in the sector are small businesses. Almost 40 per cent of them are based right here in Western Australia, and many of them work for themselves.The same is true for many African business owners and families whose incomes come from the downstream benefits of mining.
As the Foreign Minister said in her video message to the conference on Wednesday, Australia is committed to elevating the place of African nations in our global community. We believe that the UN should better represent the world of today, and we will continue to advocate for greater representation for Africa on the UN Security Council, because Africa is a key partner to achieving international peace and international security.
And at a time of uncertainty, global uncertainty, Australia will continue to strengthen our ties with Africa and progress our shared interests for a world that is peaceful, that is prosperous and respectful of sovereignty. Our countries and continents are alive with opportunities, including across the mining and resources sectors, as we transition to net zero.
So, thank you so much for being here, for celebrating the strong social, cultural and business ties between Australia and Africa, and also for bringing your diverse skills, knowledge, experiences and ideas for how we can shape our shared future. I look forward to meeting many of you over the course of the day and I wish you all the best with the continuation of this great conference. Thank you.