President Cyril Ramaphosa delivers the keynote address at the sixth South Africa Investment Conference at the Sandton International Convention Centre. Photo: Dirco
President Cyril Ramaphosa announced that the South African Investment Conference has secured R889 billion for 31 projects, expected to create 230 000 permanent jobs.
“Today we are formally launching the second investment mobilisation drive with a target of R2 trillion in new investment over the next five years,” Ramaphosa said, adding that R450 billion in fixed investment has already been confirmed with an additional R479 billion from development finance institutions.
The conference previously attracted R1.5 trillion in “credible, verifiable investment commitments in energy, telecommunications, infrastructure, property, mining, advanced manufacturing and across a range of other sectors,” Ramaphosa said, in his keynote address at the conference’s opening on Tuesday.
The next phase of the investment conference would target R2 trillion. “You can rely on South Africa. We are reliable, we are dependable and we are a good investment destination,” the president said.
He said R1 trillion would be invested in modernising and expanding public infrastructure over the next three years to boost investor confidence.
Ramaphosa told the more than 1 200 delegates gathered at the sixth iteration of the conference that the country was implementing sweeping reforms to ease the cost of doing business.
“Over the three years, the state has budgeted the investment of more than R1 trillion in modernising and expanding public infrastructure across our country.”
This includes R950 billion in planned infrastructure investment; R375 billion to maintain and expand state-owned enterprises; R400 billion for the South African National Roads Agency to upgrade road infrastructure; and R200 billion for Transnet to maintain ports and logistics.
“South Africa presents, what I could call, a favourable proposition as a resilient, credible and reform-orientated investment destination with strong fundamentals,” Ramaphosa said.
That the delegates are from more than 50 countries signals that investors see “real and enduring potential, long-term value and untapped opportunity”.
The conference brought together development finance institutions, government, business and the banking sector, with Ramaphosa noting that delegates “are able to move from contact to contract”.
The government of national unity recorded four consecutive quarters of growth and jobs with inflation converging towards the 3% target.
“Last year South Africa hosted the first summit of the G20 on Africa soil. I guess because of the success that we achieved, over achieved, now we are being punished but that’s fine.”
The conference’s investment focus is centred on decarbonisation, digitisation and diversification with the ease of doing business as a cross-cutting theme.
“This 6th South Africa investment conference stands at the crossroads of opportunity and ambition, ready to turn pledges into projects on the ground,” said Ramaphosa.
The government’s infrastructure initiative, Operation Vulindlela, aimed to break the “silo mentality” and reduce the cost and risk of investing in South Africa.
Decarbonisation as a pillar of investment strategy would create new jobs in green hydrogen, battery storage and electric vehicle manufacturing, said Ramaphosa.
“South Africa’s abundant mineral reserves make us uniquely placed to leverage the growing global demand for critical minerals needed for clean energy, for hybrid and new energy vehicles.“
The national rail policy and national freight logistics roadmap formed part of the cornerstone of government reform efforts. “These policies enable private investment in port and rail operations,” he said, adding that this has generated R11 billion for a Durban container terminal.
“By ending inefficient monopolies and introducing competent workers, we will reduce the cost of electricity – of transport over time – ending our manufacturing and mining, agriculture to thrive and to compete rather than to continuously rely on one monopoly.”
Other investment projects include upgrading airports, electricity infrastructure, inclusive economic growth policies and the just energy transition.
Parks Tau, the Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, said South Africa was open, ready and an investment destination of choice. His department had reorientated trade through the export desk towards new high growth markets across Africa, Asia, the Middle East and Latin America.
“We activated the export support desk to redirect affected exporters into new markets,” the minister said. “We accelerated negotiations with China and Thailand on agricultural protocols and in February this year we signed the China-Africa agreement securing a pathway to duty free access for South African exported products into a R3.5 trillion consumer market.”
Tau noted that full zero tariff treatment for South African exports in China starts on 1 May 2026, adding the country had turned the economic corner.
Ramaphosa’s EU-SA clean trade and investment partnership signed in November 2025, made South Africa the largest partner in Sub-Saharan Africa worth R860 billion, Tau added.
He added that the inaugural business-to-government dialogue drew 160 delegates garnering R230 billion for the country’s global gateway initiative, covering the just energy transition, critical minerals, pharmaceuticals and digital connectivity.
“This is demonstrative of the implementation of beneficiation at the source for industrialisation of the South African economy,” said Tau.
South Africa was the leading exporter of manufactured goods in Africa and the African Continental Free Trade Area would add more than R7 trillion in cumulative income for the continent.
South Africa has negotiated with the Democratic Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Algeria, Egypt, Mozambique and Ethiopia, along with the ASEAN market, he added.
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