On 06 July 2026, the Trade, Industry and Competition Minister issued a media statement announcing that South Africa, in collaboration with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Business Council and the SADC Secretariat, would host the 2026 Annual SADC Industrialisation Week from 27 to 31 July 2026 at the Durban International Convention Centre in KwaZulu-Natal.
Hosted under the theme “Resilient, Sustainable and Inclusive Industrialisation through Infrastructure Development, Agricultural and Critical Minerals Transformation in Pursuit of a Just World”, the event serves as a high-level precursor to the 46th SADC Summit of Heads of State and Government. It is widely regarded as the largest public-private platform for advancing industrial development in the SADC region.
The SADC Industrialisation Week (SIW) is a week-long programme that brings together policymakers, business leaders, investors, academia, researchers and development finance institutions from across the SADC region and beyond to advance regional industrial development. It is the premier regional platform dedicated to advancing industrialisation, regional integration, investment promotion and economic transformation within the SADC region.
The SIW supports the implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (2015 – 2063), which is anchored in three pillars: industrialisation, competitiveness and regional integration. The strategy seeks to strengthen regional productive capacities, deepen value addition and beneficiation, and promote the development of competitive regional value chains.
The 2026 edition of the SADC Industrialisation Week will focus on the following strategic priorities:
- The development of regional value chains in agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods and critical minerals beneficiation, the promotion of infrastructure development in energy, transport, logistics, water and ICT;
- Investment mobilisation and industrial partnerships; and
- Women and youth empowerment, innovation, entrepreneurship and digital transformation.
The programme will include policy dialogues, technical sessions, strategic discussions, seminars, workshops and stakeholder engagements, focusing on industrialisation, trade, investment, infrastructure, energy, regional value chains and private sector development. The Industrialisation Week will provide a unique opportunity for governments, the private sector, development finance institutions and other stakeholders to implement practical measures to accelerate industrialisation, address constraints on regional value chains, and unlock investment opportunities that support sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
As chair of SADC, South Africa remains committed to advancing the regional industrialisation agenda and strengthening regional cooperation as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation, industrial development and shared prosperity across the region.
Members of the media who plan to attend are requested to complete the security clearance form at this link: https://mrs.gcis.gov.za/?q=SADC-Industrialization-week by Monday, 13 July 2026.