By OBAKENG MAJE
North West Premier, Lazarus Mokgosi has introduced his Economic and Investment Advisory Council. Mokgosi said the council is free to robustly review any economic policy/plan, whose implementation will not translate to any improvement to the situation.
He further said their plea is that, where changes are required, it should be limited to sharpening the implementation tools and not rehashing existing plans. Mokgosi added that they have adopted a complex balancing act approach of fusing change and continuity to limit the time spent on planning.
“Therefore, any proposals we make should appreciate the enormity of the challenge we face – the 54% unemployment rate. The composition of this council is intended to facilitate cooperation and collaboration across economic sectors. Government alone will not achieve much.
“We are limited by the constraints of our fiscal size in comparison to other provinces. I wish to take this opportunity on behalf of the government and the people of the North West to thank each and everyone who has accepted the invitation to serve in the Premier’s Economic and Investment Advisory Council,” he said.
Mokgosi said it takes a great courage and determination for one to make himself/herself available to serve in an economic advisory structure of a province, which has the largest unemployment rate in the country and even higher amongst the youth. He said the latest Quarterly Labour Survey Force by Statistic South Africa, paints a grim picture about the standard of living in the province with the expanded unemployment rate sitting at 54%.
“More than 30 000 people in the province, have joined the ranks of the unemployed. This inaugural meeting of the council impresses upon us to talk less and get into action. We are facing a provincial emergency of disastrous proportions, which challenges us to expedite intervention measures aimed at finding solutions to our ailing economy and the poverty afflicting our provincial population.
“The provincial government has prepared the groundwork for this council by revising the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy, reviewing the functionality of our state-owned entities, and developing a provincial mega infrastructure projects implementation plan,” said Mokgosi.
He said they are quite aware that as experts in their respective fields, they may find some shortcomings with some of these initiatives. Mokgosi said they respect their professional and technical independence.
“We will value your advice. Over 60% of our provincial budget is consumed internally through funding government administrative costs and salaries. However, we have a great potential as a province to revive our economy, industries and create jobs.
“There are signs of recovery, but not at the pace and scale required to make an impact. If we introduce correct policies and plans, the agricultural industry is expected to attract investments to the tune of over R10 billion, followed by the construction sector at R6.6,” he said.
Mokgosi said this will result in the creation of over 50 000 job opportunities. He said there are opportunities to revive and harness the diverse offerings of the tourism industry, which could leverage an annual growth rate of 5% by 2030, with a potential investment value of R39 billion, where over 100 000 jobs could be created.
The names of the Members of the Premier’s Economic and Investment Advisory Council
Professor John Lamola, Professor Thabo Thekiso, Professor Raymond Parsons, Professor Mogadi Malope, Kopano Konopi, Kelepile Dintwe, Willem De Chanonnes, Zwelibanzi Mantambo and Nolitha Fakude.
This Council will also comprise of the following Members of the Executive Council
Bitsa Lenkopane, Madoda Sambatha, Wessels Morweng, Oageng Molapisi, Viola Motsumi, Kenetswe Mosenogi and Elizabeth Mokua.
The Guardian 