At CDH we partner with you through the entire life cycle of your business or investment, including:
• Transaction & Corporate Structuring
• Risk Advisory
• Competition Law
• Finance & Banking
• Regulatory, Legal and Compliance Assessments of Operating Conditions
• Environmental & Climate Change
• Health & Safety
• Product Liability
• Construction & Engineering
• Employment Law
• Insurance
• Real Estate
• Local Content & Public Procurement
• Tax & Exchange Control
• Litigation & Judicial Reviews
• Dispute Resolution
• Arbitration and Mediation (whether commercial or investment)
Industrials & Manufacturing
In addition to the traditional manufacturing sectors we service, CDH is a firm focused on ensuring businesses are equipped to navigate the evolving nature of established industries and the new industries emerging from these established industries.
Electric-Mobility
African government's are taking the transition to a green economy seriously, with South Africa releasing the Auto Green Paper on the Advancement of New Energy Vehicles in South Africa. These types of policies intend to establish a clear foundation that will enable African countries to co-ordinate a long-term strategies that will position Africa at the forefront of advanced vehicle and vehicle component manufacturing, complemented by a consumption leg, and increase Africa’s competitiveness in the global race to transition from the internal combustion engine era into electro-mobility solutions and technologies.
Hydrogen
The hydrogen economy is a potential “game changer” not just for South Africa and Africa, but for the world at large. South Africa is well positioned to capitalise on the rapidly-developing global hydrogen economy, to reindustrialise the country and to become an exporter of hydrogen to the world.
Robotics & Automation
The production processes in various sectors of the economy are becoming more autonomised, spanning a whole value chain from components to systems, solutions and services. The use of robotics and the digitization of the production ecosystem have brought about a rise in smart factories, mines and foundaries.
Trade
Getting goods or services to the African market requires you to navigate the policy, regulatory and legal framework of a particular host state or sometimes several host states, including relevant bilateral and multilateral agreements between states. From the outset of an investment decision, CDH provides expert advice and guidance on all aspects of the transaction at the outset of an investment decision in a host state, CDH advises and provides guidance to your business on all aspects of your transaction (risk mitigation measures, investment/transaction structuring, optimization of investment/trade incentives/benefits), including post transactional issues/disputes relating your investment or trade in goods or services.
Our expertise spans the entire value chain of your investment or trade relationship within a host state. #FromFactoryToPort #FromPortToConsumer
Services
At CDH we partner with you through the entire life cycle of your business or investment, including:
• Transaction & Corporate Structuring
• Risk Advisory
• Competition Law
• Finance & Banking
• Regulatory, Legal and Compliance Assessments of Operating Conditions
• Environmental & Climate Change
• Health & Safety
• Product Liability
• Construction & Engineering
• Employment Law
• Insurance
• Real Estate
• Local Content & Public Procurement
• Tax & Exchange Control
• Litigation & Judicial Reviews
• Dispute Resolution
• Arbitration and Mediation (whether commercial or investment)
Industrials & Manufacturing
In addition to the traditional manufacturing sectors we service, CDH is a firm focused on ensuring businesses are equipped to navigate the evolving nature of established industries and the new industries emerging from these established industries.
Electric-Mobility
African government's are taking the transition to a green economy seriously, with South Africa releasing the Auto Green Paper on the Advancement of New Energy Vehicles in South Africa. These types of policies intend to establish a clear foundation that will enable African countries to co-ordinate a long-term strategies that will position Africa at the forefront of advanced vehicle and vehicle component manufacturing, complemented by a consumption leg, and increase Africa’s competitiveness in the global race to transition from the internal combustion engine era into electro-mobility solutions and technologies.
Hydrogen
The hydrogen economy is a potential “game changer” not just for South Africa and Africa, but for the world at large. South Africa is well positioned to capitalise on the rapidly-developing global hydrogen economy, to reindustrialise the country and to become an exporter of hydrogen to the world.
Robotics & Automation
The production processes in various sectors of the economy are becoming more autonomised, spanning a whole value chain from components to systems, solutions and services. The use of robotics and the digitization of the production ecosystem have brought about a rise in smart factories, mines and foundaries.
Trade
Getting goods or services to the African market requires you to navigate the policy, regulatory and legal framework of a particular host state or sometimes several host states, including relevant bilateral and multilateral agreements between states. From the outset of an investment decision, CDH provides expert advice and guidance on all aspects of the transaction at the outset of an investment decision in a host state, CDH advises and provides guidance to your business on all aspects of your transaction (risk mitigation measures, investment/transaction structuring, optimization of investment/trade incentives/benefits), including post transactional issues/disputes relating your investment or trade in goods or services.
Our expertise spans the entire value chain of your investment or trade relationship within a host state. #FromFactoryToPort #FromPortToConsumer
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Industrials, Manufacturing & Trade Lawyers
Our Industrials, Manufacturing & Trade team provide a multidisciplinary approach to legal and commercial matters across Africa.
SECTOR HEAD
Industrials, Manufacturing & Trade News
More newsCritical minerals, critical choices: Navigating US tariffs, Chinese dominance and African sovereignty
The global landscape for critical minerals has undergone a fundamental transformation in 2025–2026, shifting from speculative interest to entrenched resource nationalism and intense geopolitical competition. Central to this shift is the Group of Twenty (G20) Critical Minerals Framework, adopted at the 2025 Johannesburg Summit, which seeks to reconcile the Global North’s urgent demand for energy-transition minerals with the industrial ambitions and sovereignty of the Global South. For South Africa and Namibia, the framework represents a precursor to far-reaching legislative overhauls mandating local beneficiation and strengthening national development objectives.
South Africa remains an industrial titan, but the trajectory has shifted
The African Development Bank’s 2025 Africa Industrialisation Index (AfDB Index) has produced a result that deserves more nuance than most commentary has given it. For the first time since the index was launched in 2010, Morocco has edged past South Africa to claim the top ranking. The margin was negligible – a difference of 0.0019 points – but the trend it reflects should not be dismissed on that basis
From ambition to execution: reflections from DEVAC 2026
Nearly two weeks on from the DEVAC Infrastructure Summit, one theme continues to standout: The challenge is no longer identifying infrastructure opportunities - it is delivering them at scale.