from NJABULO MKHIZE in Durban
KwaZulu Natal Bureau
DURBAN, (CAJ News) – SOUTH Africa will host the 9th SADC Industrialisation Week from 27 to 31 July 2026 at the Durban International Convention Centre, bringing together policymakers, investors and industry leaders to accelerate regional industrial development and investment across Southern Africa.
The event is being organised by the Government of South Africa in collaboration with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Business Council and the SADC Secretariat.
It will serve as a high-level precursor to the 46th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government.
Widely regarded as the region’s leading public-private platform on industrialisation, the SADC Industrialisation Week is designed to advance economic transformation, deepen regional integration and promote investment into strategic sectors across member states.
This year’s edition 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”.
The programme will focus on strengthening regional value chains in agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and critical minerals beneficiation, while also promoting infrastructure development in energy, transport, logistics, water and ICT.
It will further prioritise investment mobilisation, industrial partnerships, and the empowerment of women and young entrepreneurs through innovation, enterprise development and digital transformation.
The week-long gathering will feature policy dialogues, technical sessions, seminars and stakeholder engagements involving governments, development finance institutions, academia and the private sector.
Discussions will centre on industrialisation, trade, investment facilitation and measures to unlock constraints affecting regional value chains.
The SADC Industrialisation Week supports the implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (2015–2063), which is anchored on industrialisation, competitiveness and regional integration.
The strategy seeks to strengthen productive capacity across the region, expand value addition and beneficiation, and develop competitive cross-border value chains.
South Africa, as Chair of SADC, said it remains committed to advancing the regional industrialisation agenda and strengthening cooperation as a driver of economic growth, job creation and shared prosperity across Southern Africa.
– CAJ News