South Africa is finally turning the corner on slow growth.
Thanks to government’s pro-growth reformist agenda, green shoots are emerging in nearly all key sectors of the economy, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said on Monday.
“Consistent energy supply, and an improved transport and logistics environment, including the drop in inflation to 3.5% recorded early this year, have had a positive knock-on effect on key sectors of the economy.
Mining and Agriculture have both shown strong growth – factors which bode well for sustained growth,” Tau said in a statement.
The Minister stressed that the four consecutive quarters of growth recorded leading into early 2026 were a result of government led interventions - critical of which was government’s successful investment mobilisation drive.
Investment Conference
He added that to augment this growth, South Africa is scheduled to host the 6th Investment Conference (SAIC) at the Sandton Convention Centre on 31 March 2026.
In line with the President’s commitment at the 2026 State of the Nation Address, the conference promises to set South Africa on an even bolder investment target over the medium term.
“To date, over R600 billion has already flowed into the economy, resulting in the opening of new factories, mines, and various other industrial facilities. These investments play a critical role in South Africa’s national goals of socio-economic development by creating sustainable jobs, reducing poverty, and addressing inequality,” Tau said.
Launched in 2018 by President Cyril Ramaphosa, the SAIC has become the country’s premier platform for attracting global and domestic delegates to discuss emerging opportunities. The 2026 conference occurs during a period of significantly improved investor perception.
Over the last 18 to 24 months, several critical economic challenges have been addressed, most notably the improvement in the country’s energy reliability.
Tau stressed that the forthcoming conference will be anchored on South Africa’s new future focused economic and industrial policy, including the targets in the Medium Term Development Plan, the Economic Growth and Inclusion (GAIN) programme and South Africa’s New Industrial Policy which is being finalised.
Tau reinforced that the 6th SAIC will continue building on the achievements of the dtic family since the beginning of the seventh administration.
“Over the past year and a half, we have implemented industrial reforms in targeted sectors and incentivised industry to create jobs. We have embarked on market and export diversification through our Butterfly Strategy and are redesigning Transformation through the Transformation Fund and B-BBEE policy review,” he said.
Government will host the sixth edition of the conference in Johannesburg as it intensifies efforts to attract R2 trillion in new investment commitments over the next five years.
The upcoming summit builds on the success of the previous five-year investment cycle, which concluded in March 2023, after raising R1.51 trillion, surpassing the initial R1.2 trillion target.
– SAnews.gov.za
