Tim Watts, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Australian Government. (Image source: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade)

Speaking at the Africa Down Under Conference 2024, Tim Watts, the Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs in the Australian Government, highlighted the importance of Africa to Australian interests and committed to support partnerships between the two

“Since assuming this role I have paid special attention to highlighting the importance of Africa to Australian interests,” Watts remarked. “I have worked hard to advance Australia-Africa relations. This is because Africa is important; to the world, to Australia and to our shared futures.”

Emphasising this point, Watts drew attention to African Union entry to the G20 last year, a move that added 1.4bn people and almost US$3 trillion in GDP. These figures prove that “there is no global economy without Africa,” Watts continued. “Africa will have the world’s largest potential workforce by 2030. Africa’s middle class is projected to grow to over one billion people by 2060. Before the end of this century, the biggest cities in the world will be African cities. Those are simply staggering projections, which can’t be ignored. The message is crystal clear: Africa is not arriving, Africa is here.”

A focus on mining

While the country’s foreign policy has traditionally been focused on the Indo-Pacific (given its proximity), Watts maintained that Australia has global interests and is pursuing partnerships in Africa.

“I am pleased to see that, in the broad, Australia-Africa ties are expanding to meet the future’s global challenges… Australia can play a constructive role in Africa's rise, because Australia and Africa share many commodities. We're both blessed with a natural endowment of critical minerals. Rare earths elements, lithium, cobalt, nickel, etc… Whether it is solar, wind, or geothermal technology, the raw material needed to help power the future will first need to be mined out of the earth, whether that's here in Australia or across the Indian Ocean in Africa. Australian investments in Africa represent a long-term commitment to communities and to the prosperity of those communities.”

According to the Assistant Minister, investment by Australian companies has now reached US$60bn, capital that is providing jobs, training, expertise and opportunities and that can also come with new infrastructure while delivering significant benefits to local communities.

“Australians are proud of Australian mining, Australian innovation, Australian ingenuity. Companies are also increasingly looking to process minerals in Australia, supported by the Government's Future Made in Australia incentives. And I am proud that a range of Australian companies also support value addition in Africa… By adding value to raw minerals, we can create more jobs and support new market opportunities in the process. Australians want to know that our investments in Africa leave a lasting, positive legacy. And that desire applies to all Australian companies investing in Africa – not only to the resources sector.

“I am confident that Australian companies can continue to work together with their partners in Africa to deliver economic growth and prosperity in socially accountable and environmentally responsible ways. And the Australian Government will continue to support these partnerships.”

Listing this support, Watts referenced the Mining Governance Short Course for 25 African officials that ran in December 2023 and noted that a similar Short Course will be held in the coming year. Moreover, Australia’s High Commission in Accra will convene the next West Africa Mining Security Conference in October. This commitment is not “an abstraction” for Australians, the Assistant Minister remarked, but it is aiding a future in which they have a “personal stake”, not least because almost half a million Australians declared themselves to be of African heritage in the last Census.

“The continent is going to be an enormous global player in our lifetimes,” Watts concluded. “Because of its people. Because of its economies. Because of its role in the international system. There simply isn't a future where the countries of Africa are not important to Australia. You all know that. But I want to make it clear that I know that and the Australian Government knows it too.

Ugandan Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu. (Image source: Ugandan Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development)

At the forthcoming AOW Investing in African Energy event, running from 7-11 October in Cape Town, South Africa, Ugandan Minister of Energy and Mineral Development, Ruth Nankabirwa Ssentamu will explain how the East African nation has become one of the most promising new energy frontiers

The conference at the CTICC 2 is now in its 30th year and will bring together industry leaders to develop policy, share discoveries, secure investment and share Africa’s energy future. As such, the Ugandan Minister has been invited as a keynote speaker at the event and will deliver her presentation on the upstream oil and gas opportunities that the East African nation offers for global investors.

“Our country’s upstream development is well advanced,” said Nankabirwa. “Uganda is now able to offer investors the predictability they need above ground. I look forward to unpacking the wealth of energy opportunities at AOW, and discussing them with potential partners.”

The country offers development potential through an estimated 6.5bn barrels of oil in place and 1.4bn barrels deemed to be technically recoverable. The crown jewel of Uganda’s oil industry is the Kingfisher field, part of a US$10bn project to develop oil reserves under Lake Albert in the west of the country. Kingfisher, and the neighbouring Tilenga field, are part of a project that also involves constructing a pipeline to transport crude oil to international markets via Tanzania’s Tanga Indian Ocean port.

Besides achieving several milestones on the Kingfisher and Tilenga projects, Uganda has also made rapid regulatory progress, implementing robust new policies and frameworks to ensure a favourable investment climate for international energy companies looking to enter the country.

The address promises to be one of the highlights of the four-day event, with Uganda set to start pumping its first oil next year.

Propak West Africa will represent a unique platform for idea sharing around West Africa’s manufacturing sector. (Image source: Propak West Africa)

The organisers of Propak West Africa, Afrocet Montgomery, have revealed the conference lineup for the 11^th edition of the show, running from 10-12 September 2024

As the largest exhibition for the packaging, plastics, printing and food processing industries in West Africa, Propak West Africa is expected to bring together more than 5,500 stakeholders.

Those who arrive at the Landmark Centre in Lagos, Nigeria, will be treated to the extensive conference agenda where industry leaders will divulge their expertise, including a few feature in the form of the Product Innovation Stage. This platform will provide an intimate setting for leading brands including Tetrapak West Africa, SACMI, Bobst, Krones West Africa and EPSON to talk through case studies around their latest equipment.

With only 50 seats available for each session, the organiser urges eager participants to sign up and be sure to arrive at the sessions early to claim their seats. The Product Innovation Stage will run across all three days of the exhibition so there are lots of opportunities for visitors to learn something new.

On 10 September, visitors will welcome the return of the Smart Packaging Conference, hosted by AIOPPN, WPO, APO. This year’s theme is ‘Unlocking Nigeria Food Security: Implementation of Smart Sustainable Packaging to Reduce Food Waste”’. The full day programme will cover this critical subject with sessions looking at innovative approaches to sustainable packaging, cold chain technologies to reduce post-harvest loss, e-commerce platforms for food distribution, and how to implement sustainable packaging in the food supply chain.

With more than 20 speakers providing presentations and joining panel discussions throughout the day it’s a must attend event for those in the industry. The keynote will be provided by H.E. Folashade Ambrose-Medebem, Honourable Commissioner for Commerce, Cooperatives, Trade and Investment (CCT&I), Lagos State, who will be complemented by other leading minds from the likes of Flour Mills of Nigeria, LAWMA, Crown Flour Mill Ltd, Helen Keller International and Value Ingredients Ltd.

Sustainable manufacturing 

Elsewhere, on Wednesday 11 September, strategic partners KPMG will deliver an exclusive conference looking at ‘Plastics for a Sustainable Future: Exploring Cross-sectoral Responsibilities, Innovation and Sustainable Finance’. Leading thinkers at KPMG will be joined by Titilayo Oshodi, Special Adviser on Climate Change and Circular Economy to the Governor of Lagos State; Victor Boyle-Komolafe, founder/CEO - GIVO Africa; and Chigozie Ejimogu, head of sustainability at Verod Capital; among others.

The conference at Propak complements the growth of the manufacturing sector, ensuring sustainability is at the forefront of its efforts. This trend can be seen with the increase in representation in products and services offered by the 250 brands across the four halls of Propak West Africa this year.

For more information visit: www.propakwestafrica.com

Electra Mining Africa 2024 has a proven track record of driving sales and fostering business relationships. (Image source: Specialised Exhibitions)

Electra Mining Africa will bring important industries, buyers and sellers together when it opens its doors from 2-6 September

This year’s event is set to be one of the biggest Electra Mining Africa exhibitions to date with more than 850 exhibitors extending across six exhibition halls and four large outside exhibit areas. Visitors will get to see the latest industry innovations with thousands of new products and technologies on show, and hundreds of live demonstrations showcasing machinery and equipment in action.

Taking place in Nasrec, Johannesburg, Electra Mining Africa is described as a ‘5-in-1 trade show’ by Specialised Exhibitions, organisers of Electra Mining Africa and a division of Montgomery Group. The five incorporated shows – Electra Mining Africa, Automation Expo, Elenex Africa, POWERex, and Transport Expo – will put the spotlight on mining, manufacturing, engineering and related industries; automation, instrumentation, mechatronics and control; the electronics, electrical and electro-mechanical sectors; as well as power generation, power transmission and distribution, power application and renewable energy. The trucking, transport and logistics industries will also be highlighted.

The Local Southern African Manufacturing Expo has also been incorporated within Electra Mining Africa for the first time with its focus on local manufacturing.

Thousands are now preparing to attend the event and take the first steps to building relationships and discovering new technology for the benefit of their businesses.

“Electra Mining Africa has built its reputation as a platform for trade; the place where buyers and sellers meet to do business,” said Gary Corin, managing director of Specialised Exhibitions. “It’s a massive trade event and supports the stimulation of trade in the industrial, manufacturing and mining sectors of the South African economy.”

A unique learning opportunity

In addition to the world-class products on display, the free-to-attend seminars hosted by SAIMechE will give visitors the opportunity to hear from industry experts on global and local innovations within the mining and industrial sectors.

The Lifting Equipment Engineering Association of SA (LEEASA) and the Southern African Institute of Mining and Metallurgy (SAIMM) will be hosting conferences alongside the show. Charlene Hefer, portfolio director at Specialised Exhibitions, added, “We are also thrilled that Women in Mining South Africa (WiMSA) will be hosting a half-day women in mining workshop, and, participating for the first time, WiMBIZ, which represents five hundred female owned companies in the mining industry, will create a networking space where visitors and exhibitors can talk about business partnering opportunities. There will also be a hosted networking function to facilitate these conversations."

For further information, visit: www.electramining.co.za