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The South African Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SACCI) welcomes the publication of the National Development Plan (NDP) as an improvement in South Africa’s economic policy framework. The document produced by the National Planning Commission (NPC) which was released today provides some certainty on long term economic strategy. The NDP must ultimately address conflicting signals regarding economic policy and restore investor confidence.

It is important to note that no policy is set in stone and that public participation is crucial in drafting a final version of the NDP best suited for South Africa. SACCI have yet to study the details contained within the NDP but the high level principles are sound at face value.

SACCI will engage with government and stakeholders on some of the most salient concerns, including:

• Financing of government projects in general and infrastructure in particular, and
• The need to fast-track certain regulatory changes such as labour legislation concerning dismissal procedures for poor performance and misconduct.

In general, a larger question looms regarding the actual implementation of the NDP. The fact remains that government departments would ultimately have to give effect to the NDP, but experience have shown that these departments are mired in capacity challenges and fail to deliver upon existing mandates. If the NDP cannot address the institutional problems of government departments, then it is unsure as to how effective it would be on the whole in facilitating economic growth the South Africa.

SACCI congratulates the NPC on the NDP and looks forward to future interaction.