In an effort to steer the economic growth of the province to a higher level, North West Premier, Thandi Modise, has focused the provincial government's attention on job creation.
"The creation of jobs, sustainable development and making poverty history, must be the epicenter of our approach.
"One thing has become clear in the North West province, we need a new plan to propel our province to a new trajectory of development, prosperity and decent jobs,” said the Premier, when opening a two-day Provincial Growth and Development Strategy (PGDS) Indada at the Mmabatho Convention Centre on Tuesday.
The theme of the Indaba is focusing on formulating a new growth and development agenda for jobs and prosperity.
Modise said the persistence and the development of under development would most certainly have a perverse impact on the consolidation of the country’s democracy.
"We need to create a clear sense of why, if we are richly endowed with minerals and other commodities, refer to ourselves perpetually as rural, poor and helpless.
"We must ask ourselves the question what makes development happen or not happen,"she emphasised.
The Premier urged delegates at the Indaba to find sustainable solutions that would ensure that the province and the country acquired the necessary skills required for economic growth.
“People who are here today are great minds, drawn from all parts and sectors of our province, imbued with imagination, creativity and boldness to craft a golden age and future of our province.
“Collectively we must ensure that the outcome of the review of the PGDS produces clear integration with the national policy imperatives and lead to the identification of clear goal and objectives to shape the future economic direction of our province,” she said.
Modise told delegates that the new strategy they were developing this time around should not be convoluted but had to specify a clear path for an implementation plan with a defined role for each of the stakeholders and partners.
Modise said this year the province had to aim to contribute at least 12 percent to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by using the new plan to enhance the competitive and comparative advantages.
Previously, the North West province contributed six percent to the country’s GDP.
She encouraged municipalities to respond adequately to the call of creating decent jobs and build prosperous communities.
“Municipalities need to know the economic geographies of their localities, understand their current contribution to GDP and how they can help the province within the context of cooperative governance, to realise this new and prosperous future we want to build.
“Municipalities will have to ensure that all their resources are appropriately directed towards government priorities as envisaged in their New Growth Path and the industrial policy action plan,” she said.
Source: North West Provincial Government
