WATCH: The IRR’s blueprint for growth

What are the structural reforms needed to drive economic growth and unlock South Africa’s potential with key trading partners?

This is a question which has been interrogated by a variety of stakeholders across both the public and private sectors – particularly as our trade relationship with the US has come under scrutiny and we have looked at new markets from the East.

What are the practical options and considerations for stakeholders?

At a September 2024 conference at the New York Stock Exchange, President Cyril Ramaphosa reaffirmed South Africa’s commitment to inclusive growth, job creation, poverty reduction, as well as structural economic reform. He emphasized progress and growing investment under the new Government of National Unity (GNU), which was seen by many – including business leaders – as a stabilizing and positive development

Despite President Ramaphosa’s optimistic tone, the reality remains that South Africa’s reforms have been limited, and investment continues to lag far behind both national targets and comparable economies.With the country facing long-term economic stagnation, and unemployment impacting around one-third of the population, millions of South Africans face limited social mobility and rising frustration.

Boosting investment is vital for South Africa’s future – not only for economic growth but also to prevent social instability and provide real opportunities for the excluded majority.

The Institute for Race Relations (IRR) has recently released its blueprint for growth which is designed to help unlock investment opportunities to stimulate economic growth in South Africa. The blueprint essentially outlines the relevant policies and issues that could potentially pave the way for actionable solutions to opening up the investing door.

This was unpacked in a recent webinar series which you can watch the latest instalment below:

Some key takeaways from the Webinar include:

• The South African Malaise and what it means (0:06:37)
• Investment from 1990-2023 (0:11:18)
• South Africa’s Three Ages: 1994-2023 (0:16:00)
• XA Policy pyramid and effectively what has gone wrong within the economic policy (0:22:51)
• Foundations of the issues we are facing, Value adders that contribute as well as Drivers (0:28:48)
• Five Paths to Rehabilitating South Africa’s Investment Environment, how we can make a clearer path to helping business thrive again (0:48:27)
• A chat with Anlu Keeve as well as a Q&A (0:49:09)

To download the full report, click here.