Durban: The Government of South Africa, in collaboration with the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Business Council and the SADC Secretariat, will host the 2026 Annual SADC Industrialisation Week later this month. 'The SADC Industrialisation Week (SIW) is a week-long programme that brings together policymakers, business leaders, investors, academia, researchers, development finance institutions from across the SADC region and beyond to advance regional industrial development,' the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition said in a statement on Monday.
According to South African Government News Agency, the Industrialisation Week will take place from 27-31 July 2026 at the Durban International Convention Centre in KwaZulu-Natal. SIW is the premier regional platform dedicated to advancing industrialisation, regional integration, investment promotion, and economic transformation within the SADC region.
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 will serve 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 SIW supports the implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap (2015 - 2063), which is anchored on three pillars: industrialisation, competitiveness, and regional integration. The Strategy aims 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 strategic priorities such as the development of regional value chains in agro-processing, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, and critical minerals beneficiation. It will also promote infrastructure development in energy, transport, logistics, water, and ICT, alongside 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 engage in practical measures to accelerate industrialisation, address constraints affecting 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 to strengthening regional cooperation as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation, industrial development, and shared prosperity across the region,' the department said.
