The Western Cape will aim to attract global capital through its inaugural Western Cape Investment Summit 2025 (WCIS 2025) next month.
Scheduled to be held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, the investor event is being hosted under the theme ‘Catalysing Growth, Connecting Opportunities’ and runs from November 5-7.
The summit has been crafted as a deal-making platform designed to connect local, national and international investors with high-impact projects.
Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the core benefit for investors was a guaranteed stream of pre-vetted deals, direct access to one-on-one meetings with key decision-makers, and a deal room that provided real-time advisory and transaction support.
“Investment-ready projects all have clear timelines and measurable returns, ensuring opportunities are aligned with global investment goals. In this way, the summit also serves to attract new foreign direct investment (FDI) and domestic direct investment (DDI), which is vital to accelerating the economic growth our province needs to create many more jobs,” said Winde.
Spread across the following eight transformative sectors poised for growth, these projects provide diverse entry points for capital:
• Green Economy and Sustainability: Opportunities in renewable energy (solar, wind, hybrid projects) and water resilience innovations.
• Technology and Digital Innovation: Tapping into Africa's thriving tech capital in FinTech, Digital Infrastructure, and E-commerce.
• Manufacturing and Industry: Focused on advanced production, the blue economy (marine engineering), and aerospace innovation.
• Agribusiness & Food Systems: Emphasising export-driven horticulture and agri-tech advancements.
• Logistics & Warehousing: Driven by smart warehousing, multimodal transportation and cold chain logistics.
• Tourism & Experiential Economy: The Western Cape remains a top global destination, surpassing many other major global travel hubs.
• Property & Retail: In recent years, nearly half of all commercial property investment into the retail sector across South Africa was directed to the Western Cape.
• Creative Industries: The film and media sector in Cape Town is a significant economic powerhouse, contributing an estimated R5 billion annually to the local economy and creating over 35 000 jobs.
The summit is structured to maximise deal conversion, offering investors VIP access to key decision-makers, project leaders and policymakers.
Winde said the focus of the summit was on action and outcomes so that discussions during bespoke matchmaking sessions translated into signed deals.
“The Western Cape Government alone cannot create jobs; the private sector and investors are key partners. Through opportunities and world-class platforms such as WCIS 2025 and initiatives like our Growth For Jobs (G4J) strategy, we are creating an enabling environment for private-sector growth.”
The summit will facilitate the streamlining of investment through simplified regulatory frameworks and fast-tracked approvals, with a dedicated regulatory forum allowing direct dialogue with government facilitators.
In a recent report, Stats SA confirmed that the Western Cape was officially South Africa’s fastest-growing provincial economy, with its real Gross Domestic Product by Region reaching R666.8 billion in 2024.
Between 2014 and 2023, the Western Cape attracted 296 FDI projects, generating US$9.1 billion in capital expenditure and creating over 17 800 jobs. In 2023 alone, capex more than tripled, driven largely by the renewable energy sector.
