TOPIC: PRESENTATION OF THE LATEST QUARTERLY MANUFACTURING BULLETIN

Understanding the trends and views of manufacturing firms contributes to improved implementation of sector strategies and industrial policy. 

The Quarterly Manufacturing Bulletin is an initiative of the Manufacturing Circle that provides current views of manufacturing firms and an analysis of trends in the South African manufacturing sector. The focus of this development dialogue will be to present the findings of the survey covering the first quarter of 2016 and have a discussion around strategies to support the manufacturing sector in ways that support employment and equitable economic growth.

BACKGROUND

Coming out of the Malaysian experience on a ‘Big Fast Results’ methodology, South Africa ran an Operation Phakisa on the ocean economy. Operation Phakisa is a results-driven approach, involving setting clear plans and targets, on-going monitoring of progress and making these results public. The Phakisa looked at the untapped potential of South Africa’s oceans and developed a number of projects to support investment, job creation and economic development. Dr Edwin Ritchken will present on some of the key issues emerging from the Ocean Economy Phakisa.

Aquaculture was identified as a priority sector in the Oceans Economy Phakisa. Aquaculture is the fastest growing food producing sector in the world, and although abalone contributes a relatively small proportion to aquaculture, it is one of the most highly prized, premium seafood delicacies and most sought-after invertebrate. The value of total legal production in the country in 2015 totalled US$73 434 900 and is projected to rise to 135 million US dollars by 2020. The presentation by Gillian Chigumira will outline strategies and policies for the abalone industry to remain economically viable and export orientated. 

PRESENTERS

Dr Edwin Ritchken – Research Associate TIPS; on the Oceans Economy

Gillian Chigumira Junior Economist – Trade and Industry TIPS; on the Abalone Industry

Edwin is a research associate with TIPS. He has worked on the Oceans and Mining Phakisas as well as the Electricity War Room.  He was previously an adviser to the Minister of Public Enterprises.

Gillian is a researcher in the Industrial Development pillar at TIPS. She has been engaged in industrial policy-related studies in regional industrialisation focusing on agro-processing. Gillian Chigumira is currently completing a Masters in Commerce – focusing on agro-industrialisation.  She has previously worked at SAIIA.

TOPIC: PRESENTATION OF THE LATEST QUARTERLY MANUFACTURING BULLETIN

RSVP by email: daphney@tips.org.za to confirm attendance

Presenters

Thomas Farole is a Lead Economist at the World Bank, where he works on the intersection between jobs and productivity, trade, and private sector development. He is the author of a number of books and papers on topics such as special economic zones, FDI spillovers in local markets, and the implications of trade for lagging regions. He holds a PhD in economic geography from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE).

Faizel Ismail has recently been appointed as Adjunct Professor at the UCT School of Economics. He is also an advisor to the dti on International Trade and Special Envoy on the African Growth and Opportunity Act. He has served as the Ambassador Permanent Representative of South Africa to the WTO (2010-2014). 

Ben Turok was a Member of Parliament in South Africa until recently, representing the ruling party, the African National Congress. In the 1994 democratic government, he was first Head of the Commission on the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) in the Gauteng Provincial Cabinet and then moved to Parliament in 1995. He was Co-Chair of the Committee on Ethics and Member’s Interests of both Houses in Parliament. He was a member of the Liberation Movement for decades, was an accused in the 1956 Treason Trial, served three years in prison, and was in exile for 25 years, returning in 1990.

SPEAKER: UMA ADUSUMILLA

Uma Adusumilli has been heading the Regional Planning department in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), an institution that has wide scope for Regional Planning & Development, Financing, Institution Building and Co-ordination for the last eleven years.  Prior to that, she worked for 15 years as an Urban Planner with the City and Industrial Development Corporation of Maharashtra (CIDCO), a new town planning and development agency, on the project of planning and development of Navi Mumbai newtown.

She holds a Masters Degree in Planning from the School of Planning and Architecture, New Delhi, India (1987) and also a M.Sc in Urban Housing Management from IHS, Rotterdam, The Netherlands and the Lund University of Sweden (2003).

She had a career spanning over 26 years across the  spectrum of spatial planning with focus on housing, urban and regional planning. In addition to her career in the public sector, she has been involved in research, representing India in the International Comparative Research projects between 1995 and 2004 on housing for the low income groups with emphasis on land supply, regulatory framework and partnerships.