An interesting article in a South African weekly discussing the upcoming African Mining Indaba, an annual conference now in its 18th year with the stated goal of bringing investors in to help fuel investment into African mining, caught our eye this week.

With more than 6,500 delegates expected at this year’s Indaba, next month’s event in Cape Town is set to be the biggest conference yet.  Particularly interesting from an American Resources perspective is the fact that organizers report a significant increase in interest from resource-hungry China and India, not just in terms of attendance, but active participation.

The conference is known to be a place where many mining deals have been struck in the past.  Against that background, the fact that China and India, both of which have worked feverishly to increase their footprint in Africa in an effort to gain access to the continent’s vast mineral riches, are looking to step up participation in the event is a clear indication that the global race for resources shows no signs of slowing down.

Another interesting take-away from the article points in the same direction:  Given the success of the conference in Africa, there are now plans to hold a similar Indaba in Asia this fall.  With awareness of the need to ensure future access to critical mineral resources increasing around the world, will policy makers in Washington, D.C. finally give the issue the attention it deserves?