Cairo, September 3 /BNA/ The Egyptian Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources, Engineer Karim Badawi, confirmed that several specialized Australian companies have expressed interest in investing in Egypt’s mining sector during his participation in the leading Africa-Australia mining and energy conference “Africa Down Under” hosted by the state of Perth, Australia.

The minister explained that he held a series of meetings with officials from Australian companies, including “Marvel Gold,” where he discussed with the company’s CEO Howard Golden the possibility of the company obtaining some promising areas for gold exploration, praising the company’s expertise and capabilities that qualify it to achieve success in Egypt’s mining sector.

Badawi also met with the CEO of “Asara Resources,” Matt Sharple, where he reviewed recent legislative and regulatory reforms, including the amended model for gold exploitation agreements, affirming that these reforms enhance the sector’s attractiveness to investors. Sharple praised the developments in Egypt’s mining sector and expressed his eagerness to visit Cairo soon to discuss investment opportunities.

In a related context, the minister met with the CEO of “Resources Minerals International,” Asimoi Kabonga, who confirmed his company’s interest in expanding its operations from Saudi Arabia to Egypt, noting that his upcoming visit to Cairo this month will contribute to shaping cooperation mechanisms serving mutual interests.

The meetings were attended by geologist Yasser Ramadan, Chairman of the Mineral Resources and Mining Industries Authority, and Samar Ezzat, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt in Australia.