(Image: www.sainvestmentconference.co.za)
If there's one thing government conferences love more than coffee breaks and name tags, it's big numbers. And at the sixth South African Investment Conference this week, the numbers were rising rapidly.
According to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the event has already secured investments of R889 billion across 31 projects, which are expected to create approximately 230,000 permanent jobs. mail and guardian Informed.
Okay, okay.
“Today we are formally launching a second investment raising campaign with a target of R2 trillion in new investment over the next five years,” Ramaphosa said. He said R450 billion in fixed investments had already been confirmed, with another R479 billion coming from development finance institutions.
And if it sounds ambitious, that's because it is.
Speaking during the opening address on Tuesday, Ramaphosa reminded delegates that earlier investment conferences had already brought in R1.5 trillion in what he called “credible, verifiable investment commitments”. Those investments include everything from energy and telecommunications to mining, infrastructure, manufacturing and property.
Now the government wants to take that momentum even further. “The next phase of the investment summit will target R2 trillion. You can trust South Africa. We are credible, we are trustworthy and we are a good investment destination,” the President said.
Confidence, after all, is half the sales pitch.
To convince investors that the country means business, the government says it plans to invest $1 trillion in “modernizing and expanding public infrastructure across our country.”
The expenditure statement reads like a national repair list:
- R950 billion earmarked for major infrastructure projects
- R375 billion to retain and expand state-owned enterprises
- R400 billion through the South African National Roads Agency for road upgrades
- R200 billion for Transnet to maintain ports and logistics systems
Which, frankly, many investors would argue is long overdue.
The conference was attended by over 1,200 delegates from more than 50 countries, including investors, development finance institutions, bankers, business leaders and government officials. Ramaphosa presented his attendance as a sign that global investors still see potential here.
“South Africa, from what I can tell, presents a favorable proposition as a flexible, reliable and reform-oriented investment destination with strong fundamentals,” he said.
He said the event allows delegates to move quickly from networking to deal-making. Ramaphosa also highlighted that economic indicators are improving under the national unity government, including four consecutive quarters of growth and job growth, with inflation approaching the 3% target.
He couldn't resist a quick wink about South Africa hosting the G20 summit. “Last year, South Africa hosted the first G20 summit on African soil. I think we're being punished now for the success we've achieved, too much, but that's OK.”
Take whatever you like.
A large part of the investment stimulus is centered around decarbonization, digitalization and diversification – the buzzword trifecta of modern economic policy. Ramaphosa says the shift to green industries could open up jobs in green hydrogen, battery storage and electric vehicle manufacturing.
“South Africa’s abundant mineral reserves uniquely enable us to take advantage of the growing global demand for critical minerals needed for clean energy, hybrid and new energy vehicles.”
Logistics improvements are also part of the pressure for investors. new policies all around Rail and freight logistics It aims to open the door to private sector participation in ports and rail operations, something businesses have been demanding for years. According to Ramaphosa, that change has already helped generate R11 billion of investment for the Durban container terminal.
“By ending inefficient monopolies and introducing competent workers, we will reduce the cost of electricity – and of transportation over time – by eliminating our manufacturing and mining, allowing agriculture to thrive and compete rather than constantly relying on a monopoly.”
Meanwhile, Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau said South Africa was actively redirecting exports to high-growth markets in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America. “We have activated the export help desk to redirect affected exporters to new markets,” Tau said.
In major developments:
- Trade talks with China and Thailand on agricultural exports
- A China-Africa agreement provides a path to duty-free access to the R3.5 trillion consumer market
- Zero tariffs for South African exports to China from 1 May 2026
Tau also highlighted a clean trade and investment partnership with the EU, signed in November 2025, which he says makes South Africa its largest sub-Saharan partner, worth R860 billion.
The conference also hosted its first business-to-government dialogue, attracting 160 delegates and generating R230 billion in commitments for projects spanning just energy transition, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and digital infrastructure. “This is a demonstration of the beneficial implementation at the source of industrialization of the South African economy,” Tau said.
Tau said South Africa remains Africa's leading exporter of manufactured goods, and the African Continental Free Trade Area could add more than R7 trillion in cumulative income across the continent. Negotiations are underway for expanded access to ASEAN markets as well as with countries including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Algeria, Egypt, Mozambique and Ethiopia.
The sales pitch to global investors is simple. South Africa has the resources, the markets, the infrastructure plans, and now it hopes the R2 trillion investment target pledges will turn into a crane on the horizon.
“This sixth South Africa Investment Summit stands at the intersection of opportunity and ambition, ready to transform promises into projects on the ground,” Ramaphosa said.
Now comes the hard part: actually building them.
(Source: mail and guardian)