Strengthening South Africa’s Social and Solidarity Economy Ecosystem

South Africa’s Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) brings together a diverse range of actors, including social enterprises, cooperatives, civil society organisations, philanthropy, business, government and development partners.

However, strengthening the impact of this ecosystem requires greater collaboration, stronger connections between stakeholders and more coordinated approaches to addressing the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.

The symposium “Building South Africa’s Social and Solidarity Economy Ecosystem

Turning Research and Innovation into Market Success

Innovative solutions in food and agriculture have significant potential to strengthen food and nutrition security, improve the sustainability of agricultural systems and create new economic opportunities. However, promising research and innovation often face challenges in moving from development and demonstration to investment, commercialisation and wider market adoption.

The 2026 African Union – European Union – Mediterranean Innovation Fair (AU–EU–Med Innovation Fair) aims to help bridge this gap by bringing together innovators, researchers

The MC Sonae Corporate Online Session forms part of the Investment Readiness Programme (IRP) under the European Partnership on Innovative SMEs, co-funded by the European Union through Horizon Europe.

This online session provides startups, SMEs, innovators, and technology companies with the opportunity to learn how they can collaborate with MC Sonae, Portugal's leading food retailer, through retail-focused pilot projects.

Event Details

• Date: Thursday, 10 September 2026
• Time: 15:00 – 15:45 SAST
• Venue: Online
• Format: Corporate Information Session
• Speaker: Carlos Vieira – Innovation Specialist, Labs & AI

Securing investment remains one of the most significant challenges facing early-stage HealthTech companies as they move from product development to commercialisation and international growth. Beyond access to capital, startups often require strategic investors who understand the complexities of healthcare innovation and can provide industry expertise, market access and long-term growth support.

To help bridge this gap, Eureka, through its Investment Readiness Programme (IRP), has partnered with Verge HealthTech Fund to provide an exclusive online engagement designed specifically for innovative

Artificial Intelligence is rapidly transforming industrial operations by enabling organisations to extract deeper insights from complex engineering and sensor data, optimise system performance and improve predictive decision-making. As industries increasingly adopt AI-driven solutions, there is growing demand for innovative technologies capable of identifying hidden operational patterns, detecting anomalies and supporting intelligent industrial automation.

As part of the Eureka Investment Readiness Programme (IRP), Eureka will host an AVL Corporate Online Session to introduce startups and

Connecting African Exporters and Service Providers to Global Markets

ENGAGE Trade Africa (ETA) and ENGAGE Services Africa (ESA) are leading business-to-business (B2B) trade engagement platforms designed to connect African producers, exporters and service providers with international buyers, sourcing partners, corporates, governments, development agencies and investors.

The platforms provide structured market access opportunities through curated B2B matchmaking, strategic networking engagements, sector-focused roundtables and partnership-building sessions aimed at facilitating international

The Tropics Summit & Countries Showcase is Africa's premier platform for policymakers, industry leaders, investors, CEOs, entrepreneurs, academics, development finance institutions, sovereign wealth funds, startups, and the African economic diaspora. This gathering is designed for those aiming to drive sustainable investment, foster alliances, tap into new growth sectors, and champion Africa’s strategic role under South Africa’s G20 Presidency.​

Event Focus and Goals

The 9th annual Tropics Summit focuses on:

• Accelerating regional integration and intra-African trade.​
• Facilitating multilateral