This symposium was held in collaboration with the South African High Commission. The symposium and these proceedings identify and promote synergies between the minerals sectors of Australia and southern Africa. Both regions have an excellent geological endowment and a long history of mineral resource development. Both as a consequence have built up major strengths and capacity in mineral investment technology and infrastructure. In the first section Government Policy and Strategic Issues government mining ministers from South Africa and Zimbabwe outline their countries policies to foster mineral resource development and an overview is given of the strategic issues facing the minerals sector in both regions. The second section Prospectivity Development Criteria Current Status and Access outlines exciting geological prospectivity for both areas strategy for a successful mineral
tenure regime and the realities to be faced when operating on the ground in southern Africa. In the third section Regolith Synergetic R&D and Prospects for Investment approaches to exploration and collaborative research are outlined and reasons are given as to why investing in Australian mineral projects is still worthwhile for companies and investors from Australia and overseas. The fourth section Southern Africa-Australia Business Venture Structuring and Wither Gold addresses the role that the Australia-Southern Africa Business Council can play in understanding the socio-political environmental and economic climates that exist.