Johannesburg will take centre stage on Thursday as the Gauteng Provincial Government hosts the second annual Gauteng Investment Conference (GIC).
The GIC – which comes hot off the heels of the successful sixth South Africa Investment Conference – will be held at Melrose Arch, with Deputy President Paul Mashatile expected to deliver the keynote address.
Delivering the provincial budget speech last month, then Gauteng Finance and Economic Development MEC Lebogang Maile outlined that the provincial government is targeting some R200 billion in investment pledges.
“For the upcoming GIC, our objective is to secure new investment commitments. We remain determined to secure R800 billion in investments by the end of the seventh administration.
“This target is not aspirational. It is pipeline-backed and supported by structured engagement with domestic investors, foreign direct investors and sector leaders. It builds on the momentum of 2025, but it moves us from mobilisation to institutionalisation. We are institutionalising marketing, origination, facilitation and delivery
“But conferences are not judged by attendance numbers or headlines. They are judged by implementation. It is therefore important that we account not only for what was pledged, but for what has been delivered,” Maile said at the time.
From promise to progress
Last year, the GIC garnered some R312.5 billion in pledges in sectors including agro-processing, transport, infrastructure, property development and aviation.
These pledges are expected to provide some 114 000 job opportunities.
During the launch of the 2026 GIC on 17 February, Maile stated that as of February this year, at least 28% of the pledges have resulted in active projects.
“[Some] 17 out of 60 projects are now in a roll-out and this translates to R73 billion that has been unlocked for the real economy.
“This conversion rate is central to our credibility, as it demonstrates that Gauteng does not treat investment mobilisation as an event driven exercise. But rather, as a continuous life cycle from origination and structuring to facilitation and delivery,” he said at the launch.
Maile highlighted that the GIC serves as a platform that “integrates project preparation, investor engagement, intergovernmental coordination and capital mobilisation across our strategic pillars”.
“It achieves this by bringing visibility, structure and accountability to the provincial investment pipeline. In so doing, the GIC accelerates delivery and converts intent into implementation, as it translates strategy into bankable projects, aligns provincial ambitions with investor expectations and ensures that economic policy matches execution.
“This approach strongly reinforces the objectives and ambitions of the Gauteng Economic Development Plan, which emphasises inclusive growth, industrial expansion, infrastructure acceleration, job creation and long-term competitiveness,” he said.
Driving Gauteng forward
Maile noted that as GIC 2026 comes around, the provincial government is “now elevating the model”.
“Our goal is to fortify Gauteng’s standing as the top sub-national investment destination in Africa -- a status characterised by its credibility, project preparedness and execution discipline.
“We aim to secure R200 billion in new investment commitments. We seek to showcase high-growth sectors that align with global and continental trends, including advanced manufacturing, renewable energy, electric vehicle value chains, digital infrastructure logistics, agro-processing, green hydrogen and financial services,” he said.
Some key catalytic projects to be showcased at GIC 2026 include:
- Gauteng Rapid Rail Integrated Network extensions.
- The Lanseria Smart City.
- The aerotropolis around OR Tambo International Airport.
- The expansion of the West Rand SEZ [Special Economic Zone].
- The proposed Vaal SEZ focused on steel revitalisation and green hydrogen
This year’s conference is also aimed at strengthening the “entire investment lifecycle, building on the momentum of 2025”.
“We are institutionalising marketing, origination, facilitation and delivery. We are aligning with the African Continental Free Trade Area and African Union Agenda 2063 to deepen Pan-African value chains.
“We are building on engagements in Davos, Italy and the Mining Indaba to convert diplomatic relations into structured pipelines. We are also placing municipalities at the centre of this model. Urban planning, infrastructure approvals
“In 2025, we demonstrated that Gauteng can mobilise capital and in 2026, we are showing that Gauteng can convert capital into projects, jobs and leading to growth of the economy,” Maile said. – SAnews.gov.za
