President Cyril Ramaphosa: 2025 Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa

Programme Director;
Minister of Public Works and Infrastructure, Mr Dean Macpherson;
Ministers and Deputy Ministers from South Africa and across the continent;
Distinguished international guests;
Premiers and MECs;
Mayors;
Head of Infrastructure South Africa, Ms Mameetse Masemola;
Representatives of business and labour;
Members of the diplomatic corps;
Ladies and gentlemen;

It is a great pleasure to be at the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium again this year.

This is a moment that is filled with great promise and endless opportunities for infrastructure development in South Africa.

Earlier this year, one industry publication said the country was ready to unleash an infrastructure boom.

As we gather at this symposium year after year, it is important for us to understand the important role that is played by infrastructure in the life of a nation, particularly our South African nation.

This is so because infrastructure is fundamental to the development of our country.

It serves as the backbone of economic growth and social progress and contributes to the improvement of the life of our people.

I have often said that infrastructure is the flywheel that our economy needs to boost growth and to create jobs.

Through public infrastructure we are able to build roads, ports, railways and airports to enable what we produce as a nation to move efficiently.

Infrastructure development demonstrates stability and great potential to investors.

Infrastructure that is well constructed and maintained encourages investors to see our country as a great investment destination.

Infrastructure projects create jobs not only in construction and maintenance but in a number of related industries as well.

Public infrastructure in water supply, electricity, schools and health clinics improves living standards and provides dignity to our people and fosters national unity.

When we have good infrastructure we are a nation that is connected by rail, road, telecommunications, electricity, education facilities, good health centres and outstanding entertainment facilities like stadiums.

Good infrastructure will boost trade and will reduce the cost of doing business.

This is essential as we open up to the advent of the African Continental Free Trade Area. This will enable us to trade with ease with our sister countries on the continent, representing a market of 1.3 billion people.

Through such economic activity, we will be able to reduce inequality and enable rural and marginalised urban areas to benefit.

To demonstrate our clear intent on having a better focus on infrastructure build, last month Infrastructure South Africa released the second edition of the Construction Book 2024/2025, which lists around 250 construction projects with an estimated value of more than R238 billion.

This is a new record for public investment in roads, energy, water, logistics and other infrastructure.

It follows a period of prolonged decline in infrastructure spending that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated effects.

The Construction Book is a credible and detailed list of fully funded infrastructure projects. This year it includes social infrastructure projects that are overseen by the National Treasury.

By showcasing the types of infrastructure projects being developed, the Construction Book helps the construction sector and supplier industries anticipate demand for local materials, components and services.

By focusing on projects that are procurement-ready and financially secured, it also reduces uncertainty for contractors, consultants, manufacturers and material suppliers.

We are showing that we have moved from great ideas on paper to executable plans to implementation.

As the Minister of Finance indicated in the Budget Speech, infrastructure spending will become the fastest-growing line item in our budget.

Public infrastructure spending over the next three years will exceed the R1 trillion mark.

As the state substantially increases its capital investment, we recognise that Government does not have the financial resources to undertake this work alone.

That is why we are working to mobilise all available capital, both domestic and international, towards this infrastructure boom.

This requires that our projects have the credibility that is necessary for stakeholders to invest in our projects and so that we can mobilise the trillions of rands in long-term savings managed by the domestic financial sector.

To enhance greater focus on infrastructure we are implementing reforms to make public-private partnerships easier, faster and more predictable.

Some of the reforms we are focusing on will make it easier for public-private partnerships under the value of R2 billion to gain approval.

This will significantly reduce the procedural complexity of implementing public-private projects.

We are implementing the reforms necessary to make it easier for more construction by reducing regulatory duplication and providing investors with long-term certainty.

For too many years, major projects were announced without technical readiness, cost realism or stakeholder alignment.

We had many sod turning ceremonies at the start of projects, but very few ribbon cutting ceremonies on completion.

Infrastructure South Africa was established to break this pattern.

Infrastructure South Africa helps to expedite project approvals and plays a key role in project preparation and in mobilising financing.

The entity has become a centre of excellence within Government, showing what is possible when the brightest minds apply themselves to some of our most complex challenges.

Over the last five years, more than three-quarters of all requests to Infrastructure South Africa to unlock permits, authorisations and licences were successfully resolved.

When Infrastructure South Africa is involved, it takes just 85 days on average for permits, licences and approvals to be issued by regulatory entities.

Under the Infrastructure Development Act, Cabinet is empowered to establish Strategic Integrated Projects that Infrastructure South Africa can fast-track through regulatory and approval processes.

The capital value of the Strategic Integrated Projects has grown from an initial R340 billion in 2020 to over R1.3 trillion in 2025.

This value is bolstered by the huge demand for privately funded projects that only require expedited regulatory approvals to reach financial close.

These projects span energy, water and sanitation, transport and logistics, digital infrastructure and human settlements.

The projects are making a difference in people’s lives.

One of the completed projects, for example, is the Hazelmere Dam wall raising project in KwaZulu-Natal.

The project has increased the dam's yield, providing a reliable source of water to meet the growing demand from urban and industrial users.

Another milestone is the completion of the 100 MW Redstone Concentrated Solar Power Plant near Postmasburg in the Northern Cape.

This facility now supplies clean energy to more than 400,000 people a day and to over 100,000 households each year.

In the past financial year, Infrastructure South Africa’s project preparation fund supported the development of 34 infrastructure projects with an estimated capital value of R259 billion towards bankability and investment.

To focus our efforts further, last year we launched the Top 12 priority infrastructure projects for project preparation.

These include the Namakwa and Nkomazi Special Economic Zones.

They include the Amatola Bulk Water Augmentation project and Phase 2 of the Rooiwal Wastewater Treatment Works.

The Eskom Tubatse pumped storage scheme and Transnet’s Port of Ngqura liquified natural gas project are being supported to meet South Africa’s energy security needs.

We have completed the necessary project preparation work on a number of road, hospital and small harbour development projects.

Over the past year, more than R600 million has been committed to preparing projects across municipalities and public entities.

It is targeted at large-scale public sector construction projects with the potential to attract investment from alternative sources such as multilateral development banks and development finance institutions.

Infrastructure South Africa opened the first bid window for project preparation support in October 2024, where Government bodies and state-owned entities were encouraged to submit proposals for infrastructure projects needing preparation support.

The qualifying projects prioritise connectivity infrastructure, particularly the refurbishment and development of strategic rail networks and ports, water and sanitation, and energy.

The Infrastructure Fund is also making a tangible impact on the landscape.

Since its inception, the fund has packaged around 26 blended finance projects across several sectors, with a capital value of approximately R102 billion.

Through this model, we are de-risking projects and unlocking capital from pension funds, commercial banks and international financiers.

Projects being supported include the Cape Town container terminal and the eThekwini non-revenue water programme .

Last year, through the SIDSSA, the Leaders Forum meeting was inaugurated.

The Leaders Forum is a vital platform for bringing together infrastructure ministers from across the African continent, creating space for strategic dialogue, knowledge exchange and policy alignment.

This level of collaboration is essential if we are to overcome shared challenges and realise the full potential of the African Continental Free Trade Area.

By bringing together our collective expertise and political will, we strengthen the foundations for inclusive and sustainable growth across Africa.

Coordinating an ambitious infrastructure build programme is not only a practical necessity. It is also a transformative opportunity.

When we align our efforts, we unlock economies of scale and attract more investment.

We ensure the development of interconnected, future-ready infrastructure that supports trade, mobility, energy security and digital access.

This integrated approach accelerates regional integration and positions Africa to compete more effectively in the global economy, while ensuring that our people see tangible improvements in their daily lives

Thank you to our partners from across Africa for working together to drive inclusive and sustainable growth.

As we seek to transform our country and continent and unlock its full potential, we must place infrastructure at the heart of our development agenda.

Not only as a tool for economic growth and social development, but as a symbol of our great ambition and our hope for a better future.

I wish this year’s SIDSSA well and look forward to another year of productive outcomes.

I thank you.

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