Egypt's Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Karim Badawy held talks with Australian mining executives in Perth to attract investment and transfer expertise to the country's growing mining sector, the ministry said Saturday. Badawy met Jeff Quartermaine, CEO of gold producer Perseus Mining, on the sidelines of the Africa Down Under conference, where discussions centred on applying advanced drilling, processing and data-driven planning techniques in Egypt. He invited the company to visit Cairo to explore potential projects. The minister also met Sherif Andrawes, head of global natural resources at Australian advisory firm BDO, to discuss cooperation on feasibility studies, consultancy and financing. Andrawes is expected to lead a delegation of mid-tier Australian mining firms to Egypt in the coming period. In a separate meeting, officials from GeoDrill Australia praised Egypt's improving investment climate, saying its resources potential and infrastructure make it one of Africa's most attractive destinations for global miners. Attribution: Amwal Al Ghad English Subediting: Y.Yasser
