The SADC Secretariat, the Southern African Business Forum (SABF) and the NEPAD Business Foundation (NBF) kick-started the second annual SADC Industrialization Week alongside the third SABF Conference at the Focus Rooms in Sunninghill, Johannesburg, South Africa on Monday, 31 July 2017.

The theme for this year’s SADC Industrialization Week was ‘Partnering with the private sector in developing regional value chains’, and the event aimed at bringing together government, business, civil society and academics in order to form strategic partnerships that will facilitate the implementation of the pdf SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap 2015-2030 (2.34 MB) .

Attending delegates participated during the SADC Industrialization envisioning exercise which looked at what an industrialized region would like in 2030 and what necessary steps and partnerships where required to achieve the vision.

Day 2 provided a dual sector focus on Financing Infrastructure and Pharmaceuticals. The former focused on Infrastructure and Finance Public-Private Dialogue, while the latter was structured around the launch of the SADC Pharmaceutical Business Plan.

The Financing Infrastructure Conference emphasised the importance of developing quality infrastructure as a requirement to ensure the implementation of SADC’S Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap. The NBF profiled the North-South Rail Corridor as a quintessential example of the type of projects the region should prioritise.

The Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) presented a response to the topic, entitled DBSA’s support to the SADC Master Plan.

The Regional Pharmaceutical Conference launched SADC’s Pharmaceutical Business Plan which will look at the gaps within the entire value chain process in order to form public-private partnerships that will develop solutions required in the industry.

The remainder of the Week included the following topics of discussion: SME development and integration into Regional Value Chains; Regional B2B matchmaking; ‘Made in Afrika’ showcase; Sustainability and green finance; Cross Border Electronic payments; and Understanding Trade and Investment Agreements (AGOA, EPA etc.).