Financial Times Blog - China is not the only country intent on taking a bigger slice of Africa’s resource sector. An Australian government report out on Tuesday said 220 of the country’s mining and oil companies now operated in 42 African countries. Their projects have tripled in number to 595 in the past six years, although this has not yet translated into more commerce: two-way merchandise trade between Africa and Australia has flatlined at about A$5.4bn in recent years.

Ahead of this week’s mining Indaba, a big conference in Cape Town, Australian officials are keen to emphasise the credentials of their home-grown mining companies, presumably with an eye to building stronger economic links between the continents.

Mining is Canberra’s trump card. The Australian mining sector is one of the most developed and technologically advanced in the world and includes industry big boys like BHP Billiton and Rio Tinto all the way down to tiny explorers as well as a host of equipment and service providers.

Greg Hull, Australia’s trade commissioner to sub-Saharan Africa, says much of Africa’s natural resources are still unexploited and the prices for its commodities, ranging from coal to iron ore, will be underpinned by demand from China and India.

“It’s a very competitive continent and it’s exciting compared with the mining industry in Europe and the US,” he says.

Australia’s reinvigorated interest in Africa may also have a political dimension.

Kevin Rudd, Australian’s foreign minister, wants to secure one of the non-permanent seats on the United Nations Security Council and Africa’s support could be crucial to that goal when the vote is taken next year.

When he met a host of African leaders during a trip to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, last month, Rudd said Australian companies had already ploughed A$20bn into African mining projects. Canberra, he added, wanted to look west across the Indian Ocean to deepen its engagement with Africa.