In order for South Africa to achieve results in growing the economy, existing packages could not simply be repackaged and jobs had to be at the centre of the country's common goal, Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel said on Thursday.

Patel and Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies met with provincial officials and key government economic actors in Pretoria to contribute to developing a new growth path for the local economy.

Deputy-Ministers Maria Ntuli and Gwen Mahlangu-Nkabinde also attended the meeting.

Patel presented an outline of the national government work on the opportunities to create jobs in a number of sectors and the preliminary results of provincial reports on economic development projects, while Davies provided an update on the implementation of the Industrial Policy Action Plan.

The meeting was held a month before the Cabinet lekgotla, when government will determine its priorities going forward.

Nearly one-million people lost their jobs in South Africa last year, while a further 79 000 jobs were shed during the first quarter of this year.