On the sidelines of the Africa Down Under Mining and Energy Conference in Perth, Australia, Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Karim Badawi met with chairmen and executives from major Australian, Chinese, and South African mining companies. The discussions focused on attracting new investments into Egypt’s mining sector, particularly in gold and critical mineral exploration, and leveraging the ongoing opportunities made available through Egypt’s open-door sector mechanism.

Badawi met Craig Jones, Managing Director and CEO of Australian gold producer Perseus Mining, to discuss potential investment and cooperation in Egypt’s gold mining sector. The minister invited Perseus to consider Egyptian opportunities as part of its expansion plans, drawing on the company’s experience in several African countries, including Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire and Tanzania. The discussions also covered Egypt’s efforts to support exploration and production through infrastructure development, streamlined procedures and stronger local supply chains.

In a separate meeting, Badawi and John Zhang, Managing Director of China’s Shandong Xinhai Mining Technology & Equipment, discussed expanding the company’s investment and technical cooperation in Egypt. The talks covered the company’s entry into the Egyptian market through a strategic cooperation and investment agreement with Canadian miner Aton Resources, which included a CAD 4 million investment in Aton shares.

The two sides discussed expanding cooperation beyond gold exploration to include mineral processing, ore concentration and potential investments in copper, phosphate, iron and critical minerals, according to the ministry.

Badawi further met Kelly Carter, Executive Vice President of South African gold producer Gold Fields, to discuss exploration and investment opportunities in Egypt. The minister highlighted the mineral potential of the Arabian-Nubian Shield and Egypt’s long history of gold production, while also discussing opportunities to explore mineral systems containing both gold and copper.

Badawi called on Gold Fields to assess Egyptian opportunities according to its own exploration model and investment requirements, including its preferred minerals, deposit types, target project size and exploration model.

Based on those criteria, the Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority (MRMIA) would prepare a list of suitable areas and opportunities for the company, the ministry said.

Badawi also met Doug Horak, CEO of the Australia-Africa Minerals & Energy Group (AAMEG), to discuss strengthening cooperation with Australia’s mining sector. AAMEG represents more than 100 Australian companies operating across more than 30 African countries in mining, exploration, engineering services and energy.

The minister highlighted Egypt’s membership in AAMEG since April 2026 and called for greater use of the partnership to connect Egypt with Australia’s broader mining ecosystem, including exploration companies, technology providers, laboratories, consultants, financiers and universities.

The discussions also covered opportunities to attract specialized capital for exploration and strengthen cooperation in critical minerals.

During the conference, Badawi delivered a speech, highlighting the practical measures over less than two years to prepare the mining sector for increased investment and turn the country’s geological potential into clearer and more investment-ready opportunities.