The President of South Africa, Mr Cyril Ramaphosa is the convener of the event, and includes Government Ministers, large asset owners, leading private investors and fund managers, MDBs, developers, technology innovators, key advisors and more.

The main aim of the event is to facilitate alignment with the objectives of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s) and South Africa’s National Development Plan (NDP) and to ensure access to greater and economical sources of sustainable funding. Further, it aims to highlight the digital sectors, agriculture and housing sectors which aligns with 10 of the 17 SDG’s (Infrastructure).

The development component of the SIDS resides in its public sector led demand side stimulus focused on GDP growth and job creation.

The event will focus strongly on active participation from a limited number of people and institutions working together towards the delivery of the projects presented in the SIDS. The concept behind the SIDS is thus to bring together State Owned Entities, Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), DFIs, Private Sector and Academia in this maiden African consultation session.

The event features in-depth debate on the latest developments around finance, sustainable infrastructure and the impact of new technology before drilling more deeply into specific sectors, including energy, cities and transport, with case studies showcasing ground-breaking projects, advanced technologies and emerging funding structures. Another key feature will be the “Marketplace”, a networking platform for leaders in infrastructure to pitch their ideas, projects or solutions to stakeholders across the value chain.

The SIDS will become the leading event to generate innovation and partnerships that will deliver the next generation of infrastructure in South Africa and help provide a sustainable, resilient future for the region.