This event will be held consecutively over three venues in two countries. It begins with a Volcanic Youth Camp at Ijen UNESCO Global Geopark in East Java (1-2 July), followed by the main event at Rinjani-Lombok UNESCO Global Geopark Lombok (4-6 July), and concluding with a one-day workshop at The University of Sydney, Australia (18 July). The workshop will be accompanied by field trips, principally to be organised on 19 July. The workshop, to be addressed by invited speakers from both Indonesia and Australia, will focus on topics relevant to volcanic geotourism destinations.

The Australia Africa Chamber of Commerce (AACC) has confirmed that the inaugural Australia Africa Business Summit will take place in Melbourne from May 12-14, 2024.

AACC President Duncan Harris said he was pleased to greenlight the Summit especially now that many high-profile African delegations were now in a position to confirm their attendance.

“Following consultations from our African partners we decided to postpone the Summit from our original slot in October. The recent announcement of the African Union (AU) being permanently admitted as members of the G20 had had resulted in a shift to geopolitical discourse, however, with time, further clarity on the landscape, is emerging.”

“I am pleased to share that our key presenters, namely Senator the Hon Don Farrell, Minister for Trade & Tourism, Commonwealth of Australia and H.E. Wamkele Mene, Secretary-General, Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Secretariat have reconfirmed their attendance.

“The Summit venue, the Melbourne Sofitel is world-class and we are looking forward to showcasing it, the City of Melbourne and State of Victoria for our international and domestic delegates and attendees.

“We have been incredibly pleased with the interest from delegates, sponsors and presenters. Our key theme – New Bridges. New Connections – will focus delegates on opportunities for two-way trade and commerce particularly in mining, education, agriculture and professional services,” said Mr Harris.

With a vision to bring Africa to the forefront of the Australian trade and investment focus, the Australia Africa Business Summit 2024 was created to provide a unique opportunity to access key government representatives and private sector leaders, with the shared aim of building business between Australia and Africa.