Egypt’s State Information Service reported on 3 September that Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Karim Badawi met representatives of Perseus Mining, Xinhai, Gold Fields and the Australia-Africa Minerals and Energy Group during the Africa Down Under conference in Perth. The talks focused on opportunities to explore for gold and other minerals under Egypt’s open-block system and amid changes to the sector’s investment framework.

The ministry described reforms intended to help companies assess Egypt’s geology and investment environment more efficiently. Gold Fields was invited to assess potential exploration areas against its own criteria, while discussions with Xinhai covered possible cooperation in ore processing and engineering. The C$4 million investment in Aton Resources shares mentioned in the report relates to Xinhai’s previously announced entry into the Egyptian market; it was not a new commitment made at the Perth meetings. The report announced no new contract, committed investment amount or exploration timetable.