PERTH, Australia — The Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe has described the 2026 Africa Down Under (ADU) conference as a major platform for Zimbabwe’s mining industry, citing stronger participation and a larger national delegation as the country deepens engagement with the Australian mining and investment community, Mining Zimbabwe can report.
By Ryan Chigoche
The 24th edition of ADU, held from September 2 to 4 in Perth, brought together investors, mining companies, financiers, governments and service providers focused on Africa’s mining and energy sectors.
Speaking to Mining Zimbabwe on the sidelines of the conference, Chamber of Mines of Zimbabwe chief executive Dr Isaac Kwesu said the event had grown in scale, while Zimbabwe had also expanded its presence.
“As you may have noticed, it has been an overwhelming success. The growth of Africa Down Under, from the organiser perspective, it was well attended. Both in the conferencing, side events, as well as the exhibition.”
Kwesu said Zimbabwe’s delegation had been larger than in previous editions, giving the country a stronger presence across the conference’s meetings, exhibition and networking sessions.
“For Zimbabwe, I think the key highlights have been that we have seen an increased number of attendees. The number of delegates, that is the size of our delegation, has been very large.”
The expanded presence comes as Zimbabwe seeks to put its mining opportunities directly before Australian investors and companies with expertise spanning exploration, mining, technology, mineral processing and services.
ADU’s format, which combines conference sessions, exhibitions and face-to-face business engagements, has become an important meeting point between Australia’s mining industry and African resource markets. The organisers describe it as the largest African-focused mining event held outside Africa.
For Zimbabwe, the value of that platform extends beyond the conference itself. A dedicated Zimbabwe Mining and Energy Investment Forum was held alongside ADU on September 4, bringing investors and financiers together with policymakers, industry leaders and project promoters to discuss opportunities across the mining and energy value chains.
Kwesu said the Zimbabwean delegation was broad enough to engage businesses with interests extending beyond mining, including energy and other sectors linked to mineral development.
That wider representation reflects the increasingly integrated nature of mining investment, where decisions around new mines are closely linked to power, infrastructure, equipment, technology and financing.
For Zimbabwe, the measure of the conference will ultimately lie in what follows the meetings in Perth. The Government and industry will now need to turn the contacts made at ADU into detailed project discussions, site visits, partnerships and investment decisions.
Kwesu said Zimbabwe would be looking for an even stronger showing at the next edition of the conference.
