South Africa to Host 2nd SADC Industrialisation Week

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, July 27, 2017/APO/ -- 

Members of the media are invited to the 2nd Southern African Development Community (SADC) Industrialisation Week that will be hosted by South Africa under the theme “Partnering with the Private Sector in Developing Industry and Regional Value Chains” 

DATE:  31 July – 4 August 2017TIME:  08:30VENUE: Focus Rooms, 1st Floor South, The Core Shopping Centre, corner Leeuwkop and Kikuyu Streets, Sunninghill, Johannesburg At an extra-ordinary Summit held in April 2015, Zimbabwe, the SADC Heads of State and Government adopted the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap 2015 – 2063. The Summit also directed the SADC Secretariat to develop a detailed and costed Action Plan for the implementation of the Strategy, and to design and develop an appropriate institutional framework to implement the Strategy.  At the centre of SADC’s industrialisation efforts, the Strategy and Roadmap sets out three potential growth paths, namely agro-processing; mineral beneficiation and downstream processing value chains. The paths are mutually supporting and inclusive, encompassing the combination of downstream value addition and backward integration of the upstream provision of inputs, intermediate items and capital goods The Action Plan was adopted by an extra-ordinary summit in Swaziland in March 2017. It also took a decision urging member states to popularise the SADC industrialisation programme at national level, a key component of which is the annual Industrialisation Week. As part of the popularisation of the strategy and roadmap, SADC secretariat partnered with the Southern Africa Business Forum (SABF) to organise and celebrate the industrialisation week. The event will create a platform for engagement between the public and private sectors on the implementation of the SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Action Plan.  South Africa takes over the chairship of SADC after the 37th Ordinary SADC Summit which will take place in Pretoria from 10-20 August 2017 and is expected to drive the implementation of the industrialisation action plan during this period.   

Members of the media are also notified that a media workshop on the SADC Industrialisation Strategy will be held at the same venue on Sunday, 30 July 2017 from 08:30.

RSVPs should be directed to Tshilidzi Madinani on TMadinani@thedti.gov.za/063 5803 992.

Distributed by APO on behalf of The Department of Trade and Industry, South Africa.