WENDY MOTHATA|
NORTH West Premier Bushy Maape has described the high levels of unemployment in his province as a ‘ticking time-bomb’ which requires different social partners to work together in finding lasting solutions.
Maape delivered his first State-Of-the-Province-Address (SOPA) in the provincial legislature in the capital Mafikeng on Friday morning.
He said the local economy has taken a hammering due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Our economy has taken a battering due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, Provincial GDP contracted by 7,6% in 2020, “ said Maape.
The unemployment rate in the North West currently stands at 35,7%, with youth unemployment at 63%.
Maape said the province recognises that it is a shared task to grow the economy and to create jobs.
Economic recovery is projected to be about 6% of GDP in 2021 and 1,9% in 2022.
“One of the challenges we are facing, however, is that economic recovery in terms of GDP is not necessarily translating into proportional recovery in the number of jobs lost during the worst time of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Maape.
As part of the process to address the challenges of unemployment, Maape said that they have been engaging with different sectors of the economy.
“We have in the last months been engaging with different sectors of the economy, in order to develop a common platform within which economic growth and job creation can be addressed,” he said.
“In the last month, we engaged with the mining sector at the North West Mining Investment Conference. We interacted with the agricultural and tourism sectors, which are critical to the growth of the provincial economy.”
Maape said the interactions with the critical sectors of the economy are a build-up towards the Provincial Jobs Summit scheduled for May 2022.
“These interactions with the critical sectors of our economy are a build-up towards the Provincial Jobs Summit to be held in May 2022. The summit involves organised labour, business and other stakeholders. The focus of the job summit will take forward outcomes of our engagements with all role players aimed at building consensus and compacts on growing the economy, in order to create jobs,” Maape said.
Maape said: “As part of creating job opportunities in our province, we will pursue efforts to realise the establishment of the Bojanala Special Economic Zone. The Office of the Premier will drive the successful operationalisation of the SEZ working with the Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism.”
He further added: “If we are unable to resolve basic challenges at a local level, our people will not believe that we can address bigger social challenges of crime, poverty, inequality, and unemployment.”
- * Inside Metros