Keynote Address by the dtic Minister, Mr Parks Tau, MP at the Northern Cape Investment and Job Conference Mokala Sun, Kimberley
Programme Director,
Premier of the Northern Cape, Dr Zamani Saul,
Members of the National Executive, Members of the Executive Council,
Representatives of the business community, investors and development finance institutions, andLadies and gentlemen:
Good Morning!
Introduction
The Northern Cape Province is often described through the language of scale. It is the largest province by land area. It holds some of the most significant mineral deposits on the continent. It receives some of the highest levels of solar irradiation anywhere in the world. And yet, for too long, that scale has not translated into commensurate economic weight. That is what this investment and jobs conference is changing.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The Northern Cape as South Africa's Next Growth Region
The global economy is undergoing a structural shift. The transition to clean energy is an economic inevitability. The demand for critical minerals is the foundation of the
technologies that will define the next industrial era. And the race for green hydrogen is no longer speculative — governments and corporations across Europe, Asia and the Americas are committing billions to secure supply chains. The Northern Cape sits at the intersection of all three: namely clean energy, critical minerals and green hydrogen.
Certainly, this province has the land, the sun and the wind to become one of Africa's pre-eminent renewable energy production zones. Through Boegoebaai and the Green Hydrogen Commercialisation Strategy, it has the infrastructure anchor to build a hydrogen economy of genuine scale. These are live policies and programmes with government commitment and investor interest behind them.
Beyond energy, the Northern Cape's vast open spaces, low population density and potential water access through desalination make it an ideal destination for data centres — among the fastest-growing infrastructure investment categories globally. And agriculture, particularly in raisins, table grapes, dates and protein crops, remains a strong foundation with significant room for agro-processing and value chain development.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The 3D Industrial Strategy as the Policy Anchor
The dtic has structured its approach to industrialisation around three organising themes, namely: Decarbonisation, Diversification, and Digitalisation. These 3Ds align almost precisely with where the Northern Cape's competitive advantages lie.
The EU's Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism is already changing the calculus for South African exporters. Our response is to position our industrial base as a low-carbon production platform. Green hydrogen, green steel, and battery storage are sectors where the Northern Cape's feedstock advantages allow us to compete.
The Just Energy Transition Investment Plan is mobilising capital for exactly this shift. This is how we decarbonise.
On Diversification, we are building manufacturing value chains beyond our traditional strengths. Rather than exporting manganese ore, we want to export manganese products. Rather than exporting iron ore, we want to export steel. The logic of beneficiation is clear, and the Northern Cape's mineral endowment makes it a natural site for that industrial deepening.
The Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and our Special Economic Zones (SEZ) programme are the institutions and instruments we are deploying to make that happen. In relation to the unilateral imposition of tariffs, by some countries, we are also diversifying our trading partners. We are building new networks across the world and leveraging from our Global South partners. We are doing this derisking while continuing to strengthen the relationships we have with our traditional partners.
On Digitalisation, the infrastructure requirements of the digital economy — power, land, connectivity — increasingly overlap with what this province can offer. Data centres create skilled jobs, require local supply chains, and build the platform for broader digital industrialisation. The Northern Cape has the conditions to lead that story.
These three pillars of our industrial policy, are simultaneous and mutually reinforcing. An investment in green hydrogen here is a decarbonisation investment, a diversification investment, and a digital infrastructure investment. That convergence is precisely what makes this province so strategically compelling right now.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Removing Barriers and Unlocking New Entrants
Yesterday's launch of the One-Stop-Shop by InvestSA, presided over by Premier Zamani Saul, is a practical commitment to making investment facilitation faster and more responsive. As you know, investors do not want to navigate multiple government departments. Instead, they want a single point of contact, clear timelines, and a system that treats their capital and their time with respect. In this regard, the dtic is committed to making this instrument work for the Northern Cape.
Yesterday also saw the launch of projects in partnership with the National Empowerment Fund (NEF) and the Northern Cape Blended SMME Fund. These projects have created 229 new jobs and are sustaining 110 existing jobs.
These projects are about who participates in the growth this conference mobilises. Economic transformation is not a constraint on investment. Done well, it is an amplifier, deepening the local economic base, building entrepreneurial capacity, and creating the communities of stakeholders who have a genuine interest in seeing their province succeed.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
No province transforms its economy through government action alone. As the dtic family, what gives us confidence at this conference is that the right partners are in the room. In here are anchor investors who have been in this province for decades. With us are energy developers who see the scale of opportunity. Present with us here are financial institutions ready to structure and finance the transactions that will make these investments bankable. And a provincial government, under Premier Saul, that has shown the kind of political commitment that makes a real difference on the ground.
As the dtic, our role is to reduce risk and amplify returns. This is being achieved through the IDC, the SEZ programme, our sectoral incentives, and the Omnibus Investment Support Programme, which fast-tracks support for priority investments.
As you would agree, South Africa is in a different moment to where we were two years ago. The energy crisis that constrained investment confidence has been resolved. Operation Vulindlela II is driving structural reform. And the national investment drive has secured over R1.5 trillion in investment pledges during the previous cycle, with a meaningful portion now flowing into production. Of course, our ambition is to attract a further R3 trillion over this next cycle as announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa.
This conference is the provincial expression of that national commitment. The sectors on the agenda here — renewable energy, green hydrogen, critical minerals, agriculture, data infrastructure — are exactly where South Africa needs to build new industrial capacity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Conclusion
The opportunities that present themselves add up to a new economic story for this province. This is a story of industrialisation, not extraction. Value addition, not raw throughput. Long-term sustainable growth, not dependence on commodity cycles. To show that we are serious about making an impact, this story is bringing together a partnership not seen in South Africa’s history.
As an outcome of our G20/B20 Presidency which was premised on the pillars of solidarity, equality and sustainable development, government and the private sector will be coming together to realise the Northern Capes potential and position it as South Africa’s next economic frontier.
We will be partnering with the private sector together with the Premier, across all three spheres of government, and in a number of sectors including critical minerals, renewable energy and new energy technologies to realise the full potential of this great province.
Indeed, the Northern Cape's people have waited for the economic transformation that geography and geology have always promised. This conference may well be the moment when that story decisively accelerates.
I thank you.
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