A well-attended launch, including Western Cape premier, Helen Zille, the MEC for Finance, Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde, mayor Patricia de Lille and several Western Cape mayors, saw interest expressed by Western Cape business associations, industry bodies, sector development agencies, municipalities, NGOs, social movements and skills development organisations.
Speaking at the launch, EDP convener, Andrew Boraine said, "Many of our public and private institutions are no longer suited to address the step-change necessary in our economy. We are looking for a new breed of organisation and a new type of collaborative leadership.
"It will make a difference to the extent to which it can harness the mandates, power and constituencies of its members and partners, build a culture of collaboration, and find new ways of doing things."
He cautioned that meaningful change would not occur overnight. "Its role will be to build effective partnerships for inclusive growth. This will require a commitment to shared values, vision and action, and time. There are many things that can be done right now to accelerate employment creation; however, it will require at least a ten-year commitment to generate sufficient labour-absorbing growth to make a significant difference to poverty, inequality and unemployment. We are asking EDP members to make that commitment."
Currently in a membership drive phase, it has around 40 key organisations that have formally signed up for membership. These include:
Western Cape MEC for Economic Development and Tourism, Alan Winde said that the EDP would add value to the work of all three spheres of government. "The role of government in the economy is to get the basics right - education, infrastructure, health, skills, sound macro and micro economic policies, an enabling regulatory framework, and to make sure that this is done in a 'whole of government' way. The EDP will provide a platform for much needed innovation and experimentation. This is why the Western Cape Government has also entrusted the Future Cape 2040 process - a visioning and planning process for the regional economy - to the EDP."
Provincial and national government have provided start-up capital for the consultation, organisational design and establishment phase. In the long term, its members will fund the EDP. Both the Western Cape Government and the City of Cape Town, amongst others, have made financial commitments to the EDP.
Boraine continues, "Our stakeholder mapping process has shown that there are approximately 60-70 key stakeholders that drive the regional economic development system. However, to ensure that the EDP is an inclusive process, we have sent membership application forms to over 250 organisations."
Any organisation that plays a role in the Western Cape economic development system and falls into one of the 12 categories of membership, may apply to join by completing an Expression of Interest for Membership form, which is available at www.wcedp.co.za. Members are also invited to participate in the EDP Board nomination process. Follow on twitter @WCEDP
