Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the sector encompassing the production of goods through the transformation of raw materials, components or substances into finished products using labour, machinery, tools and chemical or biological processing. The sector spans a vast range of activities, from food and beverage production to the fabrication of machinery, electronics, vehicles, textiles, chemicals and construction materials. Manufacturing plays a central role in economic development, contributing to gross domestic product, employment, export earnings and technological advancement. It is typically divided into light manufacturing, which produces consumer goods and smaller items, and heavy manufacturing, which involves capital-intensive production of industrial equipment, metals and large-scale infrastructure components. The sector's competitiveness depends on factors including labour costs, skills availability, energy prices, logistics infrastructure, access to raw materials and the regulatory environment. In many African economies, manufacturing remains underdeveloped relative to services and primary industries, though industrialisation strategies increasingly prioritise value addition and local content. Global trends such as automation, digitalisation and the energy transition are reshaping manufacturing, with growing emphasis on renewable energy integration, circular economy principles and skills development to support advanced production technologies. Manufacturing's significance extends beyond direct output, as it drives demand for upstream suppliers, fosters innovation and anchors supply chains that support broader economic resilience.
Manufacturing Updates
Absa PMI declines to 47.3 points in June, but price pressures may have peaked
By: Schalk Burger 1st July 2026 Financial services firm Absa’s Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) declined from 50.8 in May to 47.3 index points in June. The sharp decline in the... →
South Africa's economic recovery entering uncertain phase amid growing pressure
By: Schalk Burger 30th June 2026 South Africa’s economy remains on a recovery path, but rising global pressures and cost dynamics are slowing momentum and reshaping the outlook for... →
dtic’s partnership with Afreximbank to provide access to trade, industrial finance
By: Schalk Burger 24th June 2026 Trade, Industry and Competition Minister Parks Tau has signed an agreement with multilateral financial institution the African Export-Import Bank... →
Stuck at the start, 50 years on: Youth unemployment and exclusion in a low-growth, unequal, changing economy
By: Econ3x3 19th June 2026 On June 16, 1976, thousands of school students in Soweto took to the streets to protest against Afrikaans as a medium of instruction. But the... →
Demand for electricity to outpace economic growth and reshape investment
By: Schalk Burger 19th June 2026 Global electricity demand is set to outpace economic growth as part of a broader trend up to 2030, with electricity consumption projected to grow... →
Government Is Delaying Government - And Young People Are Paying the Price
17th June 2026 Every June, South Africans rightly pause to honour the courage and sacrifice of the young people of 1976. Their struggle was about more than... →
Daily Podcast – June 09, 2026
By: Thabi Shomolekae 9th June 2026 Making headlines: GDP increased by 0.5% in the first quarter; Cholera outbreak in Nigeria's Borno kills 74; And, WHO says Congo Ebola contact... →
ActionSA wants three economic Ministers fired over Q1 job losses 
By: Thabi Shomolekae 9th June 2026 ActionSA has intensified its pressure on the Government of National Unity to immediately fire three key economic Ministers following the latest GDP... →
Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber sounds alarm on 11% electricity tariff hike
By: Irma Venter 9th June 2026 The Nelson Mandela Bay (NMB) Business Chamber is “very concerned” about the 11% average increase in electricity tariffs proposed by the metro... →
GDP increased by 0.5% in the first quarter – Stats SA
By: Creamer Media Reporter 9th June 2026 South Africa’s GDP increased by 0.5% in the first quarter, following an increase of 0.4% in the fourth quarter of 2025, Statistics South Africa... →
