This paper evaluates Transnet's attempt to engender local manufacturing through the procurement of 1,064 rail locomotives from four international bidders. Research based on interviews with rail industry stakeholders, although undertaken at an early stage of the procurement effort, shows that...

Premature deindustrialisation is a threat to low- and middle-income countries, as it shrinks their opportunities for technological development, and their capacity to add value in global value chains and tradable sectors, thereby ultimately reducing their scope for productivity increases. This...

South Africa's industrial development trajectory has centered on the mining, metals and energy value chains. The mining and basic metals industries were beneficiaries of favourable electricity tariffs, investment and logistics support aimed at promoting its competitiveness. Subsequently, the...

The sectoral study conducted during the first year of the Industrial Development Think Tank identified Thailand as a major international automotive hub to utilise as an effective comparator (see Black, et al., 2018). In particular, Thailand was reported as an example to look at with regard to...

The orientation and investments of large and lead firms can shape the patterns of industrial development and growth in a country. It is thus important to understand the investment decisions of large firms and how they relate to policy in terms of building productive capacity in the South African...

This paper evaluates the development of local and regional industrial development in the context of rail infrastructure projects taking place in Mozambique's Moatize coal fields linked to the discovery of coal deposits in the area. The study used a case approach to analyze the transport...

With over 20 years in a democratic South Africa, the country still faces serious economic challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. In response to these challenges, the need for a higher level of economic growth, combined with a more inclusive approach to sharing the benefits of such...

The character of economic activity in Johannesburg has been shifting over time; away from primary and secondary sectors and towards services. Economic activity is very unevenly spread across the city and not well aligned with areas where the majority of the population lives. There is a need to...

Situated within a Global Value Chain (GVC) analytical framework, this study investigates the regional value chain for mining capital equipment in South Africa and Zambia. In particular, it focuses on what is driving South African Original Equipment Manufacturers' (OEMs) competitiveness in the...

The animal feed to poultry value chain in the southern African region has seen rapid demand growth owing to increases in urbanization. This growth has been accompanied by the increase in coordinated investments by large, predominantly South African, firms across the region. We examine the...