The Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) is broadening recognition of excellence in South Africa’s construction sector through the 2026 Empowerment and Recognition of Women in Construction (ERWIC) Awards, which this year introduces a new Academic Excellence category for women in the construction and built environment sector.

“Through the cidb ERWIC Awards, we are recognising women who are not only succeeding in construction, but helping to shape the future of the sector,” says cidb CEO Bongani Dladla. “These awards create visibility, open doors and affirm the value that women bring to infrastructure delivery, business growth and community development.”

The new category celebrates female academics, lecturers and researchers whose work is helping to advance resilient construction practices, sustainability, innovation and skills development. It adds a new layer to the awards programme and reflects the cidb’s wider interest in the people and ideas shaping the future of the built environment.

Now in its seventh year, the cidb ERWIC Awards has become one of the sector’s leading platforms for recognising women making a measurable contribution across the construction value chain. The 2026 awards will also recognise excellence in project delivery, mentoring, rural development, disability inclusion and digital construction technologies.

The awards sit within the cidb’s broader drive to support a more inclusive and capable construction sector. The B.U.I.L.D programme continues to strengthen contractor capacity, including support for emerging businesses and women-owned contractors seeking to grow sustainable enterprises and deliver infrastructure with impact.

Women remain under-represented in construction, but the sector is showing progress. According to the cidb’s Construction Monitor, women made up 11% of the roughly 1 259 000 people employed in South Africa’s construction sector at the end of the second quarter of 2025. The cidb says that makes continued recognition and support for women’s participation more important than ever.

The 2025 cidb ERWIC Awards recognised women including Nondumiso Amanda Ceba of Ceba Projects, for her contribution to the Milano Estate as part of the broader Sky City Project in Alberton, and Suzan Portia Phalane of Sue Phalane Trading and Projects, for the Tlaseng Roads and Stormwater Drainage project. Their work reflects the growing contribution of women-led businesses to infrastructure delivery.

“Every entry, finalist and winner shows what is possible when women are given the platform to lead,” Dladla says. “The ERWIC Awards are helping to build a stronger, more representative construction industry.”

The entry closing date has been extended to 10 July 2026. Entries can be submitted at www.erwicawards-cidb.co.za