Building effective partnerships for inclusive growth

Introduction to the Western Cape Economic Development Partnership (EDP) 

“While we can walk faster alone, we can walk further together” – African proverb 

What is the EDP?

• A cross-sector partnership that focuses mobilising a wide-range of socio-economic stakeholders towards a more inclusive and resilient regional economy

• A voluntary association• An independent, non partisan organisation

The EDP is not…

• A government agency or statutory body• A bargaining forum• A substitute or replacement for government, or for 

private sector or community organisations

• 100 member organisations signed to date

• EDP Members’ Forum: 19 June

40 nominations to dateBoard will be finalised by end June

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Developing the EDP role...

1. Rowing

2. Steering

3. Cheering

4. Coaching

Co-creation

Vision and strategy (Future Cape 2040)

Economic intelligence

Leadership development

Co-delivery

Improved business & investment climate

Economic system performance & reorganisation

Sustainable employment

Local economic partnerships 

Our 2040 ambitionA resilient, inclusive and competitive economy with low rates of unemployment producing growing incomes, greater equality and an 

improved quality of life

• Every person will be appropriately educated for opportunity

• Recognised centres of ecological, creative, science & social innovation excellence

Educated Cape

•Anyone who wants to be economically active is able to work•The entrepreneurial destination of choice

Enterprise Cape

•Welcoming, inclusive and integrated communities• A global meeting place and connector

Connecting Cape

•Healthy, livable, accessible, high-opportunity neighbourhoods• Ranked as one of the greatest places to live in the world

Living Cape

•Functioning ecosystems working for & with communities •Leader and innovator in the Green Economy including green jobs creation

Green Cape

Lead

ing

Cha

nge

From To

Knowledge transition(Educated Cape)

Unequal access to quality educationLow numeracy and literacyKnowledge taker 

Equal access to quality educationScience, maths, language excellenceKnowledge generator 

Economic transition (Enterprise Cape)

High barriers to entry (Closed monopolised economy with high structural unemployment)Low levels of productivityHigh leakage out of the local economy

Low barriers to entry (Open accessible and employment generating economy) High levels of productivityLow leakage out of the local economy

Cultural transition(Connecting Cape)

Inward looking and parochialBilingualInsular and scarcity-based

African and Global orientationMulti-lingualOpen and abundance-based

Settlement transition (Living Cape)

Disconnected stratified low opportunity high cost suburbs/townshipsUnsafe poor quality public transport

Connected liveable multi-opportunity affordable neighbourhoodsSafe affordable integrated public transport

Ecological transition (Green Cape)

Unsustainable resource useCarbon-intensive, high wasteEnvironment disconnect from economy

Sustainable resource useLow carbon and zero wasteEnvironment cornerstone of economy

Institutional transition (Leading Change)

Competitive relationshipsSilo deliveryPassive CitizenshipCompliance

Collaborative relationshipsSeamless deliveryActive CitizenshipInnovation

Key transitions – 2012 - 2014

Enabling economy: financial,

business & govt. services

Agri-economy

Lifestyle economy

Innovation economy

Logistics economy

Resources economy

Economic drivers

Complexity of regional economic development environment

“Governing regional (economic) development policy is a complex task. The environment is characterised by  vertical inter-dependencies between levels of government, horizontal relationships among stakeholders in multiple sectors, and a need for partnership between public and private sectors” – OECD, Governing Regional Development Policy, The Use of Performance Indicators, 2009

Improving the business and investment climate

• Economic governance matters!• Measuring the regional business & investor climate, 

and acting to continually improve it, requires an inter-governmental, transversal and cross-sector partnership approach

• There is no optimal design for a performance indicator system – we must set clear regional objectives before we determine factors and criteria

Vision and strategy

Data and intelligence

Business & investment

climate

Regional economic

delivery system performance

Do we understand long-term global demand trends?Are our policies and plans based on sound evidence?

What should we measure?How should we rank performance?

How do we continuously improve the performance of the regional economic development system?How do we assist our organisations to deliver better on their own mandates?

Do we have a shared vision?What are the key transitions?How do we navigate these transitions successfully?

Leadership is required to open spaces for experimentation and innovation, identify trade-offs, make the tough choices, and to persuade and inspire

Example: Vietnam Provincial Competitiveness Index – DAI and The Asia Foundation, 2011

Entry CostsLand access and 

security of tenure

Transparency and access to information

Time costs of regulatory compliance

Informal charges

Proactivity of provincial & 

local leadership

Business support services

Labour and training

Legal institutions

Co-creation

Vision and strategy (Future Cape 2040)

Economic intelligence

Leadership development

Co-delivery

Improved business & investment climate

Economic system performance & reorganisation

Sustainable employment

Local economic partnerships