South Africa's Manufacturing Subsectors: Findings from TIPS Research | Series: 3

Описание: TIPS Development Dialogue held on 19 November 2025

The South African government places industrial policy among the key interventions for driving growth. At its core is the manufacturing industry, which faces a rapidly changing global environment shaped by supply chain shifts, climate change, and technological advances. This calls for closer assessment of the implications for South Africa.

TIPS is hosting a three-part Development Dialogue series on key manufacturing subsectors, focusing on sustainability, technological change, and the evolving trade environment.

The first dialogue examined sustainability issues in the iron and steel, automotive, and plastics industries. The second dialogue, which has also been completed, explored how digitalisation, automation, and innovation are reshaping South Africa’s manufacturing sector. The final dialogue will focus on international trade trends and their implications for the country’s industrial development.

Welcome and opening remarks: Nokwanda Maseko (TIPS) - Chair

Presentations and Discussions

Gillian Chigumira (TIPS) - Insights From Paper: International Trade Trends On Horticulture

Dr Michael Hector (TIPS) - Insights From Paper: International Trade Trends On Food Processing

Lucas Mthembu (TIPS) - Insights From Paper: International Trade Trends On Clothing And Textiles

Dr Neva Makgetla (TIPS) - Discussant

About the Speakers

Nokwanda Maseko is a Senior Economist at TIPS (Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies). Her work at TIPS is at the intersection of industrial policy, gender and the just transition.

Dr Neva Makgetla is a Senior Economist at TIPS. Makgetla has published widely on the South African economy and worked for many years in government.

Gillian Chigumira is a Senior Economist at TIPS, specialising in industrial development policy and inclusive economic growth in South Africa and across the SADC region, with expertise in national industry masterplans, sector strategies, and local and regional value chain analysis.

Dr Michael Hector is an economist in Sustainable Development at TIPS. His work focuses on green industrial policy and environmental governance, with a particular interest in the intersections between economic development, sustainability, and industrial policy in South Africa.

Lucas Mthembu is an Economist at TIPS. His work focuses primarily on industrial policy, as well as capital goods and clothing and textile industries.