Invest SA Eastern Cape

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InvestSA Eastern Cape is a One Stop Shop providing strategic guidance, reducing regulatory inefficiencies, setting up norms and standards including turnaround times, to reduce red tape for potential investors in the Eastern Cape.

Hon. Nonkqubela Pieters, MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, called on municipalities to mo...
04/09/2026

Hon. Nonkqubela Pieters, MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, called on municipalities to move beyond identifying opportunities and strengthen their ability to convert those opportunities into actual investments.

She challenged stakeholders to measure economic development through tangible outcomes: How many investments have been facilitated? How many jobs have been created? How many businesses have been supported? How many projects have moved from concept to reality? And how many local enterprises have been connected to new markets?

These questions speak directly to the role municipalities play in creating an environment where investment can take root and translate into meaningful economic opportunities.

The Provincial Multi-Stakeholder Trade and Investment Promotion Roundtable Dialogue brought municipalities, economic development agencies and other key stakeholders together to examine practical interventions including red tape reduction, business retention and expansion, strategic partnerships and ecosystem development.

For ECDC, this is where investment facilitation through the One Stop Shop becomes critical, reducing fragmentation, connecting investors to the right institutions and helping them navigate the journey from opportunity to implementation.

How can municipalities move from being administrators of local economies to becoming active drivers of trade and investm...
04/09/2026

How can municipalities move from being administrators of local economies to becoming active drivers of trade and investment?
This question shaped discussions on the ECDC–ECSECC 2025–2026 Municipal Support Programme, led by Mr Akho Skenjana, Acting Executive Manager: Economic Development and Sector Support at ECDC, together with Ms Fezeka Maqwati, Local Government Planning Specialist at ECSECC, and Ms Nandipha Bam, Economic Development, Trade and Investment Specialist at ECSECC.

The discussion highlighted the important role municipalities play in unlocking local economic opportunities. Through the ECDC–ECSECC partnership, municipalities are being supported to identify, package and promote investment opportunities, strengthen their ability to engage potential investors and improve overall investment readiness.

Investment opportunities from Port St Johns, Matatiele and Enoch Mgijima were showcased, alongside Investment Opportunities Booklets developed for participating municipalities.

For ECDC’s One Stop Shop, strengthening investment opportunities at municipal level is an important part of building a stronger provincial investment pipeline and making it easier for investors to identify and pursue opportunities across the Eastern Cape.

Attracting and retaining investment emerged as a key focus at the Provincial Multi-Stakeholder Trade and Investment Prom...
04/09/2026

Attracting and retaining investment emerged as a key focus at the Provincial Multi-Stakeholder Trade and Investment Promotion Roundtable Dialogue, with stakeholders exploring the conditions and interventions needed to strengthen the Eastern Cape’s investment proposition.

ECSECC Board Chairperson Mr. Simphiwe Kondlo challenged stakeholders to look beyond celebrating investment milestones and confront the conditions that determine whether investors choose to come, stay and grow.

He highlighted the fundamentals of a conducive investment climate such as reliable water, electricity, digital connectivity and safety, while calling for improved coordination in how South Africa is positioned and marketed globally.

ECDC Board Chairperson Mr. Vuyani Jarana brought the conversation closer to implementation, emphasising the need to strengthen institutions’ ability to identify, develop, qualify and categorise viable projects, so that they can be prioritised and matched with appropriate funding and investment opportunities.

Together, these messages point to an important reality that attracting investment is not only about promoting opportunities. It is also about creating the conditions, institutional capability and project pipeline that allow investment to happen.

For investors, the opportunity matters. So does the environment in which they are expected to invest.

The 7th Eastern Cape Export Symposium, co-hosted alongside the Continental Energy and Infrastructure Investment Forum (C...
24/08/2026

The 7th Eastern Cape Export Symposium, co-hosted alongside the Continental Energy and Infrastructure Investment Forum (CEIIF), brought trade, investment, infrastructure and energy into one strategic conversation.

With delegations from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi and Botswana, the Symposium created space for African institutions and businesses to explore how the continent can strengthen its own economic partnerships, markets and value chains.

The engagement extended beyond the conference programme, with delegates visiting the East London Industrial Development Zone (ELIDZ) Science and Technology Park and the Coega Special Economic Zone. These engagements provided opportunities to benchmark industrial-development models, exchange knowledge and explore collaboration around AfCFTA, cross-border trade and bankable infrastructure projects.

The message was centered on Africa investing in Africa. This means connecting the province’s industrial capabilities, businesses, infrastructure and investment opportunities to a wider continental market.

For the ECDC, this reinforces its strategic role in facilitating trade and investment, connecting businesses with investors, and forging partnerships that translate the Eastern Cape’s economic potential into sustainable growth.

The Symposium may have concluded, but the real work continues, turning connections into partnerships, partnerships into projects, and projects into investment, trade, jobs and measurable economic impact.





At the heart of the 7th Eastern Cape Export Symposium were aspiring and established exporters from sectors including agr...
24/08/2026

At the heart of the 7th Eastern Cape Export Symposium were aspiring and established exporters from sectors including agriculture and agro-processing, automotive components, food and beverages, and the creative industries.

However, the exhibition was about more than displaying products. It was about creating pathways to markets.

For participating businesses, the Symposium opened opportunities to engage potential buyers, investors and strategic partners, while gaining access to networks, market intelligence and connections that can help unlock export growth.

A quality product is only the starting point. Sustainable participation in regional and global markets requires the right partnerships, market knowledge, finance, logistics, standards and commercial connections.

This is where the ECDC’s role becomes catalytic, creating platforms that connect Eastern Cape enterprises to markets, investment, partnerships and opportunities, while supporting the journey from enterprise development to market access and sustainable growth.

The success of the Symposium will be measured by the conversations that will turn into contracts in the near future, connections becoming strategic partnerships, products entering new markets, businesses expanding their operations and jobs being created. Ultimately, the impact of the Symposium will be reflected in the commercial relationships, market opportunities and sustainable growth that emerge from the connections made.





As global trade continues to evolve, the 7th Eastern Cape Export Symposium saw the province lead in conversation about o...
24/08/2026

As global trade continues to evolve, the 7th Eastern Cape Export Symposium saw the province lead in conversation about opportunities for trade, investment and growth.

Hosted by the ECDC on behalf of the Eastern Cape Provincial Government, the Symposium brought together more than 400 business leaders, exporters, investors, policymakers and trade experts around one critical question: How do we turn Africa’s economic opportunities into trade, investment and sustainable growth?

For the Eastern Cape, this means expanding the province’s export footprint, attracting investment, strengthening productive sectors and connecting local businesses to new markets. It means creating conditions for businesses to grow beyond provincial borders and compete more effectively in regional and global markets.

For South Africa, it means strengthening industrial capacity, diversifying the export base and ensuring that provincial economies contribute more meaningfully to national economic growth and competitiveness.

For Africa, the opportunity is even greater as meaningful continental integration requires more than trading across borders. It requires investment in the infrastructure, industries, skills, technology and production capacity needed to build competitive African value chains.

From automotive manufacturing and agro-processing to the ocean economy, energy, infrastructure and critical minerals, the Eastern Cape is positioned within sectors with significant potential to drive industrialisation, attract investment, create jobs and expand export opportunities.

However, opportunity alone is not enough. Businesses need access to markets, finance, technology, infrastructure, market intelligence and strategic partnerships. As a result, it is important that governments, investors and development institutions work together to create an enabling environment in which businesses can scale, innovate and compete. This is where platforms such as the Eastern Cape Export Symposium become critical, creating connections between businesses, markets, investors and strategic partners and turning dialogue into opportunities for trade, investment and economic growth.





ECDC Acting CEO, Ms Thobile Buthelezi, highlighted the importance of platforms such as the Women and Youth in Trade Busi...
18/08/2026

ECDC Acting CEO, Ms Thobile Buthelezi, highlighted the importance of platforms such as the Women and Youth in Trade Business Breakfast in creating opportunities to connect, exchange knowledge and build the networks needed for business growth, as the Eastern Cape Export Symposium & Exhibition gets underway tomorrow.

The power-packed programme featured conversations centred on enterprise development, access to finance, business support and market access, all critical to helping women and youth-led businesses grow, scale and compete globally.

Hosted by the ECDC in partnership with the British High Commission and the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic), the session reinforced the importance of building stronger pathways for women and young entrepreneurs to move from enterprise potential to sustainable participation in global markets.

Doreen Fick is the Head of Specialised Trade Solutions in Business and Commercial Banking (BCB) at Nedbank. She leads th...
18/08/2026

Doreen Fick is the Head of Specialised Trade Solutions in Business and Commercial Banking (BCB) at Nedbank. She leads the bank's strategic focus on Trade and Working Capital for Commercial and Mid-Corporate clients, helping to connect client needs with appropriate funding, risk mitigation and ex*****on support.

With more than a decade of experience in trade finance, product management and cross-border working capital solutions, Doreen has worked across funded and unfunded trade finance, documentary trade, distribution, syndication and insurance. Her current focus is on growing Trade in BCB by working closely with sales and product teams to strengthen client-led solutioning, improve trade finance visibility, and support businesses across the import and export value chain.

For the Eastern Cape Export Symposium and Exhibition, she brings a practical banking perspective on how exporters can align deal size, production funding, payment timing and risk mitigation with the right finance structure.

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT | MBULELO SOGONIWe are pleased to welcome Mr Mbulelo Sogoni, Director-General of the Office of the ...
18/08/2026

SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT | MBULELO SOGONI

We are pleased to welcome Mr Mbulelo Sogoni, Director-General of the Office of the Premier, to the 7th Eastern Cape Export Symposium & Exhibition.

Mr Sogoni will facilitate a Plenary Session, bringing together key voices and perspectives on the opportunities, challenges and strategic priorities shaping trade, investment and export growth in the Eastern Cape and beyond.

His participation will help drive meaningful dialogue and connect strategic insights to practical opportunities for businesses seeking to strengthen their market access and participation in regional and global value chains.

19–21 August 2026
East London Convention Centre, KuGompo City

From Opportunities to Implementation. From Dialogue to Delivery.

SETTING THE AGENDA FOR INCLUSIVE TRADEMEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Hon. Nonkqubela P...
18/08/2026

SETTING THE AGENDA FOR INCLUSIVE TRADE

MEC for Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Hon. Nonkqubela Pieters, delivered the keynote address at the Women and Youth in Trade Business Breakfast.

She emphasised the need to build an economy where opportunity is not defined by gender, age or geography, but where women and young people have meaningful opportunities to participate, grow and compete.

Her call was clear: build proudly South African businesses that are sustainable and globally competitive, with trade serving as a powerful engine for inclusive economic transformation.

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12 Esplanade Street, Quigney
East London
5247

Opening Hours

Monday 08:00 - 16:30
Tuesday 08:00 - 16:30
Wednesday 08:00 - 16:30
Thursday 08:00 - 16:30
Friday 08:00 - 16:30

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