Western Cape Government leaders have hailed the inaugural Western Cape Investment Summit (WCIS), held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre last week, as a resounding success.

This comes as six major investment declarations were made, with a total investment value of R50 billion, which is expected to create 45,000 job opportunities in the Western Cape over the next 20 years.

The three-day event at the CTICC connected local and global investors to a pipeline of projects valued at R400 billion across key growth sectors like green energy, agri-business, and manufacturing.

The summit, themed “Catalysing Growth, Connecting Opportunities,” saw the Western Cape Government (WCG) firmly position the province as Africa’s premier investment destination.

Western Cape Premier Alan Winde highlighted the province’s exceptional track record of job creation.

“The Western Cape accounted for 89% of all net job growth in South Africa over the past five years, and that is no accident. It is due to a targeted, deliberate, and sustained effort by our government to create an enabling environment that supports the private sector, to drive job creation.”

Western Cape MEC of Agriculture, Economic Development and Tourism, Dr Ivan Meyer, says the ultimate goal is to transform the Western Cape into a R1 trillion, inclusive economy by 2035.

“The WCIS served as a critical execution platform for a key segment of our Growth For Jobs (G4J) strategy, which is explicitly focused on driving growth through investment.”

More than 520 high-profile delegates, project owners and investors attended the three-day summit.

The projects that formed part of the deal book used for investor matchmaking include the R47 billion Saldanha Bay green hydrogen project, as well as innovative ventures in mechatronics and boatbuilding and were all directly aligned with the province’s growth priorities.

The focus now shifts to the post-summit phase, which includes due diligence and deal structuring between project owners and investors. This will be tracked over the next three months.

“This summit was never the finish line. It was the starting gun,” said Premier Winde.

“We have provided the platform for great ideas and capital to engage. Now, our job is to facilitate the rigorous due diligence process that turns a handshake into a multi-billion Rand investment. This commitment to growth and jobs was the backbone of the summit.”