Mbombela, Mpumalanga | 22 September 2026
The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI), in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), today convened stakeholders in Mbombela for the Critical Minerals Investment and Jobs Pipeline Stakeholder Engagement.
Bringing together representatives from government, business, development institutions, finance and the mining sector, the engagement focused on a central question: how can South Africa translate its mineral wealth into greater investment, beneficiation, enterprise development and sustainable job creation?
The engagement forms part of a broader SACCI–UNDP collaboration designed not simply as a once-off event, but as a practical platform connecting policy, investment and economic opportunity. The initiative places particular emphasis on critical minerals, junior miners, SMMEs, beneficiation, investment readiness and job creation.
From potential to pipeline
South Africa’s mineral resources present opportunities that extend beyond extraction. The conversation in Mbombela focused on what is required to develop stronger domestic value chains, support beneficiation, improve access to markets and finance, and enable more businesses to participate meaningfully in the critical minerals economy.
The proposed collaboration seeks to bring together junior miners, SMMEs, financiers, buyers, technical partners, service providers and public-sector stakeholders. Key areas include identifying barriers such as finance, market access, technical support, logistics, standards and certification, while developing a practical pathway from exploration and extraction through to beneficiation and supplier development.
The morning programme opened with Mr Neil Pollock, SACCI Vice President, addressing the business imperative, followed by discussions examining the role of policy, development finance, mining technology and private-sector participation.
Ms Ntokozo Nzimande, DDG: Mining, Minerals and Policy Development, delivered a keynote address providing an overview of Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources programmes.
The programme also brought development and investment perspectives into the conversation, including contributions from Mr Bernadin Uyasiziba, UNDP Regional Carbon Market Programme Specialist, as well as industry and finance stakeholders.
Making opportunities investment-ready
A significant focus of the initiative is ensuring that promising mining and beneficiation opportunities can progress from ideas to credible commercial propositions.
The proposed Critical Minerals Value Chain and Deal-Readiness Facility is intended to strengthen the ability of junior miners and related enterprises to become investment-ready, procurement-ready and trade-ready.
This includes building capacity around deal structuring, pricing, contracts, export logistics, responsible trading and market engagement, while connecting enterprises with financiers, buyers, logistics providers and technical partners.
These issues were reflected in the day’s stakeholder dialogues, including discussions around Mining Technology and Investable Opportunities and Turning Critical Minerals Opportunities into Investment, Enterprises and Jobs.
The underlying ambition is clear: identifying mineral resources is only the beginning. Unlocking their wider economic value requires an ecosystem capable of moving opportunities through financing, development, beneficiation, market access and ultimately into viable enterprises and employment.
Creating space for junior miners and SMMEs
Inclusive participation is central to the proposed programme.
SACCI’s national business and chamber networks provide an avenue to identify and mobilise junior miners, SMMEs, training facilities and private-sector partners, while connecting them with buyers, funders, logistics operators and service providers.
UNDP brings development framing, partnership design and expertise aligned with inclusive growth, sustainable finance and regional value chains. Together, the organisations envisage developing a shared roadmap, identifying pilot opportunities and establishing a practical investment and jobs pipeline.
This means the work emerging from the engagement is intended to continue well beyond the discussions taking place in Mbombela.
From conversation to action
The concept underpinning the collaboration specifically recognises that the programme should not be event-driven only.
Instead, stakeholder engagements are intended to become mobilisation points where partners can be organised, opportunities identified and the pipeline approach tested.
The implementation pathway envisages an initial period of alignment and design, followed by stakeholder mapping and diagnostics, partner mobilisation, pilot support, training and deal-readiness activities.
The next steps include identifying an initial group of junior miners, SMMEs and beneficiation-linked opportunities, as well as mapping financiers, buyers, logistics operators, exchanges, training providers and relevant public-sector stakeholders.
Building towards Mining Indaba 2027
Importantly, the work has a longer-term horizon.
The proposed collaboration identifies regional SADC engagement and Mining Indaba 2027 as important milestones for demonstrating progress.
By Mining Indaba 2027, the ambition is to move towards a curated pipeline of opportunities, pilot deal-readiness briefs and partnership proposals that can demonstrate tangible progress and connect promising enterprises and projects with potential partners and investors.
This gives today’s engagement a purpose beyond the conference room.
It is about beginning the work of connecting mineral potential with capital, businesses with markets, entrepreneurs with opportunity, and investment with jobs.
For SACCI and UNDP, the Mbombela engagement represents an important step in building those connections and developing a practical pathway through which South Africa’s critical minerals opportunity can contribute to broader and more inclusive economic growth.
From Mineral Wealth to Opportunity.
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