CAPE TOWN, South Africa – The annual Investing in African Mining Indaba now underway here and claiming to be the world’s largest mining investment event with more than 7,000 attendees, has announced plans to extend its brand to Asia.
The first Investing in Asian Mining Indaba (www.AsianMiningIndaba.com) will be held Oct. 29-31, 2012, at the Marina Bay Sands Hotel in Singapore, Investing in African Mining Indaba Vice President and Managing Director Jonathan Moore told a press conference here.
The Singapore event will use the South African event as a template, he said. “The event in Malaysia will be the same as the Cape Town event in terms of look and feel, but with a unique Asian flair. The focus of the event will be on the Asian mineral assets,” Moore explained.
Kobus van der Wath, founder and group managing director of consulting and advisory firm The Beijing Axis, and advisor for the African and Asian Mining Indaba, described Singapore as being at the center of the trade route for mining products from all over the world.
“The move signals that Asia matters for the world, which is why some of the major mining companies have established regional hubs in Singapore,” Van der Wath said. “Singapore is located between Africa and Australia, two major global mining markets, and the government of Singapore is proactive in developing the resources sector.”
Demand for natural resources from India and China is driving the need for more mining opportunities in the region. “Asia is ripe for a business conference platform like the African Mining Indaba,” explained Moore. “Unprecedented demand for iron ore, coal, uranium and other natural resources further augment the importance of stimulating more mining activity in the region. We intend to achieve the same goals as we began achieving with Africa more than 18 years ago, and that is to channel foreign investments into Asian mining to help meet these supply challenges.”
Investing in Asian Mining Indaba will be an annual professional conference dedicated to the capitalization and development of mining interests in Asia. The event will be designed to attract the influential stakeholders in Asian mining – including financiers, investors, international mining houses and Asian government Asian delegations.
“Being the leader in its domain, the Mining Indaba global brand ensures an impressive gathering of investors, key mining companies, and government delegations from the continent,” Van der Wath said. “Asia has long been waiting for a business networking event that is of the calibre of Mining Indaba to bring awareness and the necessary investments to fuel mining activity in the region. Asia cannot be ignored.”
Participants must be registered and require a badge to access any Mining Indaba event activities. Pre-registration is highly recommended for all professionals interested in attending. To learn more about Investing in Asian Mining Indaba and subscribing to the mailing list for notification of conference registration offers to the website at www.AsianMiningIndaba.com.
Phil Burgert is managing editor of ResourceInvestor.com. He can be contacted at pburgert@resourceinvestor.com.
