The SADC-DFRC was proud to participate in SADC Industrialisation Week 2026 in Durban, South Africa, where our Executive Director, Mr. Zwelibanzi Sapula, served as a panellist on 29 July 2026.

During the discussion on financing regional infrastructure and accelerating industrialisation, Mr. Sapula emphasised that the region’s greatest challenge is not the lack of capital, but the shortage of well-prepared, investment-ready projects.

He emphasised that SADC-DFRC is positioning itself as the region’s anchor institution by coordinating efforts across four strategic areas:

* Strengthening the capacity of Development Finance Institutions to originate, structure and finance complex infrastructure projects.
* Supporting project preparation through feasibility studies, transaction advisory services, project structuring and the development of regional infrastructure pipelines.
* Mobilising technical assistance and catalytic funding through partnerships with multilateral development banks, development partners, climate finance institutions and bilateral partners.
* Promoting policy harmonisation and regional coordination to create a more predictable and attractive investment environment for cross-border infrastructure projects.

Mr. Sapula also underscored the critical role of the private sector as a strategic development partner, noting that the SADC-DFRC Public-Private Partnership (PPP) Unit is supporting Member States by strengthening PPP frameworks, building institutional capacity, and fostering collaboration between governments, DFIs and private investors.

Concluding the session, he reaffirmed SADC-DFRC’s commitment to advancing regional infrastructure through partnership, preparation and coordinated action.

“If we prepare together, mobilise together and execute together, we will not simply finance infrastructure, we will finance the future competitiveness of the SADC region.”