Parliamentary Secretary Brown to attend African Mining and Development Conference

OTTAWA, Canada, December 14, 2013/African Press Organization (APO)/ -- Lois Brown, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development and Minister for La Francophonie, will attend the third African Union Conference of Ministers Responsible for Mineral Resources Development, in Maputo, Mozambique, from December 13-17, 2013.

The Parliamentary Secretary will deliver remarks at the Conference's official opening and will help launch the African Minerals Development Centre, to which Canada is the largest contributor. PS Brown will also participate in a panel discussion on leveraging the Africa Mining Vision.

While in Maputo, PS Brown will chair a roundtable discussion on Women's Economic Empowerment in Africa with African and Canadian business and community leaders. She will also meet with a number of her counterparts from across the continent with the objective of reinforcing collaboration between Canada and Africa to sustainably develop Africa's vast natural resource potential for the benefit of its people.

The Conference has become a premier forum for African leaders to address issues related to the development of mineral resources on the continent and has as its aim the promotion of sustainable development in Africa. PS Brown's participation is aligned with Canada's commitment to help African countries maximize the benefits of their extractive sectors, to help ensure these benefits flow to their people in ways that improve their overall quality of life.