Regional policymakers, business leaders, investors and development finance institutions are set to converge in Durban next week for the 9th Annual SADC Industrialisation Week, as Southern Africa seeks to strengthen industrial capacity, attract investment and accelerate economic transformation.
The five-day event, running from 27 to 31 July at the Durban International Convention Centre, will be hosted by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in partnership with the South African government and the SADC Business Council.
The gathering will be held under the theme: “Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World”.
It will also serve as a high-level precursor to the 46th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government.
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the keynote, with SADC Executive Secretary Elias Magosi, Ministers, senior government officials and business leaders also attending.
The week is expected to provide a platform for discussions on how the region can expand production, strengthen trade and investment links and develop competitive regional value chains.
Participants will include policymakers, private-sector representatives, academics, researchers and development finance institutions from across the region and beyond.
Key areas of focus will include strengthening value chains in agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and critical minerals beneficiation.
Delegates will also examine infrastructure development in energy, transport, logistics, water and information and communication technologies.
Investment mobilisation and industrial partnerships will form another central part of the programme, alongside efforts to advance women and youth empowerment, innovation, entrepreneurship and digital transformation.
The programme will feature policy dialogues, technical sessions, seminars, workshops and stakeholder engagements covering industrialisation, trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, regional value chains and private-sector development.
SADC said the Industrialisation Week would provide an opportunity for governments, businesses, development finance institutions and other partners to tackle constraints affecting regional production systems and identify opportunities to unlock investment.
The event is part of the implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015–2063, which is built around industrialisation, competitiveness and regional integration.
The strategy seeks to increase productive capacity, promote value addition and beneficiation, improve industrial competitiveness and develop integrated regional value chains.
SADC said the initiative remained central to its broader efforts to deepen regional cooperation and economic integration, with industrial transformation positioned as a pathway towards job creation, greater competitiveness and shared prosperity across Southern Africa.
The 2026 Industrialisation Week will take place in Durban from 27 to 31 July. – SAnews.gov.za
