If business is not assertive about what it needs from government to achieve inclusive growth, we are unlikely to achieve it. Business should secure a better understanding with government and also understand it better. This was the advice of Songezo Zibi, author of Raising the Bar and editor of Business Day, at the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (EDP’s) second annual general meeting on 14 October 2014 in Stellenbosch. Fellow speakers – who also called for improving the relationship between government and business – included the Western Cape Minister of Economic Opportunities, Allan Winde; Deputy Director-General at the Department of Science and Technology, Imraan Patel; and the EDP’s Chairman, Barbara Hogan.

In opening the AGM, Hogan said: “I’m pleased to report that the EDP has grown and matured as an organisation in the year since our last AGM.  We have added even more experience to an already well-qualified team, and you can judge our increasing relevance in the region from the fact that most of our programmes are now in response to direct requests from you, the economic stakeholders in the Western Cape.  This clearly demonstrates that the EDP is having a positive impact in the region – which is particularly encouraging, given the volatile economic times in which we live.”

Reversing SA’s economic trends

In his CEO Report, Andrew Boraine said: “The majority of SA’s economic trends are moving in the wrong direction. This is owing to a number of weaknesses that exist in our economy, including competing policy approaches; priorities that are not set on the basis of accurate data; non-collaborative institutional behaviour; limited governmental cooperation; the public sector’s compliance culture and risk aversion; and a weak and fragmented civil society voice

“To arrest, and reverse these, we need carefully orchestrated efforts by all players – the public sector, the private sector, civil society, labour and academia – to collaborate for growth. Providing safe spaces for constructive dialogue and action-oriented collaboration as well as ensuring that the right people are in the room is at the heart of what we do,” he explained before providing detail on some of the broad range of programmes with which the EDP is engaged:

Regional Economic Narrative: Currently, the Western Cape has a relatively weak economic identity, as indicated in all prominent global indices that measure city or regional economic performance. To help remedy this, the Western Cape needs a strong economic, or business, profile.  The EDP’s role in developing this economic ‘narrative’ is to facilitate building a shared economic brand and sharing its implementation with its partners.

Improving the Regional Innovation System (IRIS):  The objective of the EDP’s IRIS programme is to strengthen regional innovation networks through structured collaborations designed to overcome intrinsic barriers and promote innovation in the Western Cape. IRIS stems from the recognition by the EDP and its partners that innovation is at the heart of moving SA from its present mix of resource- and efficiency-driven economic activity to the generation and application of knowledge. IRIS aims to strengthen collaboration and cooperation between universities, research institutions and industry, as well as government at a regional level.

Business Leadership Platform: A characteristic of a well-performing regional economic development eco-system is well-organised and articulate business leadership. This programme aims to help strengthen the voice of business in engagements with local, provincial and national government; unite business interests around a common agenda; and demonstrate that business is able to work together, without necessarily being in full agreement on all fronts.

Regional Economic Performance: Over the course of 2014, the EDP has also put partnerships in place to measure the effectiveness of the Western Cape economy and improve the accuracy of the data that informs its economic decisions.

National reach

Boraine continued: “While the EDP is based in – and largely focused on – improving the regional economy of the Western Cape, the EDP has demonstrated its ability to translate our regional programmes into the national context in the past year. Today the EDP is an active participant in a knowledge-sharing organisation, the Economies of Regions Learning Network, hosted by National Treasury, and we contribute to the national competitiveness brand debate through Brand SA. Last week, we were in Nelspruit to advise the Mbombela Municipality on the establishment of an Mbombela EDP, and we have been doing similar work, focused on partnerships for innovation, in the Eastern Cape. Much of this work involves management development and shifting mindsets from competitive to collaborative leadership.”

At present, the EDP is the only organisation of its type in SA. A public sector organisation, it is funded by the Western Cape Provincial Government, City of Cape Town National Treasury and other national departments.

Boraine concluded: “The EDP is committed to improving the performance of the Western Cape’s economy to benefit the whole of its society. As a result, we look forward to continuing our pioneering work in collaboration with our partners in government, the business sector, civil society, labour and academia in the coming year.”