Economic empowerment of our most disadvantaged citizens is one of South Africa’s most pressing challenges. To date, such empowerment has been racially phrased and has resulted in the most significant effort at social engineering in post-apartheid South Africa as it impacts every aspect of the economy and employment – what we commonly refer to as black economic empowerment (BEE). Yet, we are constantly reminded that we are not achieving our objectives – witness Marikana and the farm protests, and many more ripples of discontent throughout the country. It is difficult not to recall the proverb: the more things change, the more they stay the same.
So we have to ask: does BEE, as we are currently formulating it, offer a sustainable solution? In my view, we need a new approach that accommodates the fact that we are living in extraordinary times and experiencing unprecedented technological innovation in a complex global environment, all against the backdrop of the most significant challenge of humankind - a planet at risk.
We, as South Africans, are very much part of this new world, however, we are still grappling with the consequences of the old. Our best chance of tackling the current and the future together is by shifting our lens from black to green. We need to question old formulas rather than the principles that underpin them.
Green is much more than being environmentally-friendly. From the perspective of the economy, it has a number of implications:
- First, if it is true that climate change will impact the greatest on the poorest, then any green economic strategy in developing countries must have poverty alleviation and job creation at the centre.
- Second, climate change has thrown us into unknown territory. So green is about boldness – both in terms of vision and leadership – and innovation. And, innovation goes beyond technology. It is interesting to note that half of the European Union’s innovation budget is focused on issues of societal change.
- Third, green is about balance – an economic construct that ensures that whatever we can take from our environment, we give back in equal measure for future generations. But we need to be cautious about seeing this in a mechanistic manner.
- Fourth, what matters are small steps by many people coming together in unfamiliar partnerships and collaborations.
- Fifth, green is about being highly efficient and productive in the use of our resources.
To talk of “balance” and “small steps” in the same breath as “boldness” and “innovation” seems contradictory. Yet, together these all add up to a paradigm shift in the way we go about realising economic opportunities and benefits. Therefore, if we can successfully model economic transformation in green, then maybe we can challenge that proverb.
Picture courtesy of Johnnie Miller
You can watch Jenny's full talk at the TEDxTM event here.