EDP to be the Wheel that Steers the Western Cape Economy

Last week, Western Cape Minister of Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, attended the official launch of the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership, an innovative body based on world best practice that will bring economic players from across the province together to drive, lead and coordinate regional economic growth.

Thus far, 40 organisations have expressed their interest in joining the EDP, including sector promotion bodies and economic development agencies from across the province.

Speaking at the launch, Minister Winde said: "The launch of the Western Cape EDP signals a new era for our economy, and especially for those parts of our province that have historically felt disconnected from the economic centre. This body will allow us all - big and small business, academia, sector bodies and civil society - to work together to solve our province's biggest challenge: poverty. The Western Cape Government, whose first strategic objective is to create growth and jobs in our province, is committed to the goals of the EDP and to playing a leading role in making our province better together."

"The primary objective of the EDP is to inspire inclusive, job-creating growth in our region, which has seen largely jobless growth in the past decade. Its first tasks will be to devise a long-term vision and strategy for the province's economy and, simultaneously, to devise a community works programme that will create jobs in the short-term. We will also run an economic leadership training programme to improve the quality of local economic decision making, and we will bring economic intelligence organisations together to ensure that our future economic plans are based on irrefutable evidence."

Minister Winde continued: "We have put this body together in record time, and I would like to thank Andrew Boraine, Yumnaa Firfirey and everyone who has been involved in creating the EDP for their dedication to forming a world-class organisation that will grow our economy. This partnership will be the tiller (wheel) that allows us to proactively steer our economy, which has been largely rudderless up until now. We are determined to succeed so that we can create better lives for all the people of our province."

Premier Helen Zille, who also attended the launch, said that the EDP will pull together the best minds of the economy to create growth and jobs in an innovative way that moves people out of poverty. She expressed the Western Cape Government's commitment to playing an active role on the EDP, and to ensuring that the government puts policies in place that creates an enabling environment for the region to achieve economic growth.