The Coega Special Economic Zone (SEZ) is being positioned as a strategic platform to drive South Africa’s next phase of innovation-led industrialisation, spearheaded by the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Professor Bonginkosi Nzimande. During his visit to the SEZ, he called for collaboration among government, industry, research institutions and academia.
Speaking during a strategic engagement at the Coega Business Centre, Nzimande outlined an ambitious vision to position science, technology and innovation at the centre of economic growth, industrial development, job creation and regional competitiveness. The visit formed part of the Ministry’s nationwide programme to strengthen partnerships between the country’s innovation ecosystem and key industrial sectors, ensuring scientific research and technological advancements translate into economic opportunities, investment attraction and sustainable employment.
The minister emphasised that South Africa’s industrialisation ambitions cannot be achieved without a strong innovation system directly connected to industry and noted that Coega is uniquely positioned to support this vision because of its established industrial base, world-class infrastructure, strategic logistics assets, proximity to academic institutions and growing technology ecosystem.
“Coega has something many economic zones around the world spend decades trying to build: a strong industrial base, logistics infrastructure, access to international markets, research capability and a major university in close proximity. This creates the ideal environment for transforming knowledge into technology, technology into products and products into globally competitive businesses,” said Nzimande.
Collaboration forum
A key outcome of the visit was the minister’s call to establish a Science, Technology and Innovation Forum for the Nelson Mandela Bay region, aimed at strengthening collaboration between industry, universities, government and research institutions.
The proposed forum would serve as a catalyst for regional innovation, support the development of science and technology infrastructure and facilitate closer alignment between industrial demand, skills development and research capabilities. He also proposed integrating a Technopark within the Coega SEZ, creating a seamless pathway from research and development to commercial production.
The envisioned Technopark would leverage the strengths of existing institutions, including the Nelson Mandela University (NMU), technology stations, science councils and other higher education institutions across the Eastern Cape, while avoiding duplication and unnecessary bureaucracy.
Coega welcomed the Minister’s vision and reaffirmed its commitment to positioning the Coega SEZ as a leading destination for innovation-driven investment and industrial growth.
Coega Project Development Manager, Clayton Jacobs emphasised that Coega provides an integrated ecosystem where innovators can develop, prototype, and test products within the zone before transitioning into an established industrial market.
“Unlike standard incubation environments that focus purely on niche product development, Coega provides technical expertise and institutional knowledge grounded in real-world industrialisation, significantly increasing startup success rates. The SEZ functions as a live testbed, enabling companies, particularly in sectors like green hydrogen, to partner with existing industry operators, enabling industrial synergies and symbiotic processes within the product development and testing stages,” said Jacobs.
The Coega SEZ provides a conducive environment for immediate commercial application and scale. Existing Memorandums of Understanding with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), and Nelson Mandela University (NMU), among others, support the establishment of a thriving multi-sector innovation hub.
Science and Innovation Park
A Science and Innovation Park in the Coega SEZ can tap directly into specialised capabilities in marine sciences, renewable energy, engineering, and digital technology. Surrounded by automotive manufacturing plants, agro-processing facilities, and logistics centres, new technologies can potentially be refined as part of a living laboratory alongside existing SEZ tenants.
The MEC for the Department of Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Nonkqubela Pieters, expressed the province’s support: “The proposed park has the potential to connect research and development with advanced manufacturing, technology commercialisation, skills and enterprise development and investment. Today, we want to go beyond expressing support, we commit to provincial coordination and investment facilitation, localisation and MSME and start-up development.”
The engagement also reinforced the importance of strengthening South Africa’s National System of Innovation at provincial and local government level. Nzimande called for greater integration of science, technology and innovation into regional development strategies to ensure that all communities benefit from advances in technology and the digital economy. He further stressed that innovation must become a powerful tool for addressing regional inequalities, empowering young people with future-fit skills and creating inclusive economic opportunities across the country.
