Australia-Africa Week 2018

I look forward to participating in Australia-Africa Week in Perth and delivering the keynote speech at the Africa Down Under ministerial dinner on 29 August.

The Africa Down Under conference - now in its 16th year - brings together mining and energy ministers, business leaders and senior officials from the African and Australian extractives sector.

The conference is a highlight of Australia-Africa Week, which showcases the growing commercial, academic and people-to-people links between Australia and Africa.

As noted in the Government's Foreign Policy White Paper, Africa's population of 

1.2 billion will double by 2050, with its growing urban middle class creating new demand for goods and services.

Africa is already a major market for our mining companies and for our suppliers of mining equipment, technology and services.  The Australia-Africa Minerals and Energy Group, the peak body representing Australian companies with a commercial interest in Africa's mining sector, estimates around 40 per cent of Australian overseas mining projects are in Africa, with more than 170 ASX-listed companies currently active in 35 African countries.

Building on Australia's significant engagement in the African extractives sector, the Government is also working to expand and diversify commercial links with Africa.  Australia-Africa Week is a key platform to promote new opportunities for trade and investment and harness the knowledge and skills of Australia's dynamic African diaspora communities.