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The Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, Maropene Ramokgopa, has unveiled plans to improve institutional effectiveness and accelerate the delivery of the Medium-Term Development Plan (MTDP) through targeted economic structural reforms.
“The MTDP will address critical constraints in energy, transport, and logistics to unlock growth and enable job creation,” Ramokgopa announced on 7 February.
Ramokgopa addressed the media during a session focused on the progress of the MTDP 2024-2029, which serves as a five-year strategic framework outlining the government’s priorities.
It acts as a roadmap for translating the commitments of the seventh administration into actionable programs and policies, drawing on the Government of National Unity’s (GNU) statement of intent and the manifestos of 10 political parties.
The MTDP’s main priorities include fostering inclusive economic growth, reducing poverty, and establishing a capable State.
Ramokgopa highlighted the alignment of the MTDP with President Cyril Ramaphosa’s State of the Nation Address (SONA) and its role in ensuring the effective implementation of national priorities.
In his SONA, President Ramaphosa emphasized the importance of economic growth, job creation, infrastructure development, and reducing household expenses. He called for economic growth to surpass 3% to boost investment and job creation.
Ramokgopa acknowledged the limitations in state capacity that have hindered progress in achieving inclusive economic development.
“The MTDP, therefore, enhances the President’s capacity to effectively coordinate policy planning and implementation,” she explained.
She emphasized that the reforms will improve agenda-setting mechanisms, streamline the intergovernmental cluster system, and ensure cohesive execution of national priorities, particularly regarding institutional organizational structure reforms.
“We’ve now developed a method to modernize institutions by streamlining processes and clarifying the roles of different departments,” Ramokgopa said.
She believes that by enhancing competitiveness, modernizing infrastructure, and eliminating bottlenecks, sustainable economic development will be achieved, with a stable and functional local government.
Ramokgopa mentioned that local government reforms would focus on enhancing service delivery and ensuring development reaches all communities. This will be done by strengthening municipal governance through revised policy frameworks and targeted empowerment initiatives.
Furthermore, the department plans to align State-owned entities (SOEs) with a developmental mandate, addressing governance challenges, ensuring accountability, and maintaining commercial viability.
“This process involved inputs from a wide range of government stakeholders to ensure alignment with MTDP strategic priorities,” she stated.
Cabinet has considered the plan and will make a decision on its approval at the next meeting. Ramokgopa indicated that the resolutions have already been adopted at the local government level.
“We will take the plan to Cabinet to adopt it as a policy document for the seventh administration,” she explained, emphasizing that the success of this plan will be demonstrated by achieving its set targets and improving the living conditions of citizens.
She believes that effective service delivery will build citizens’ trust and confidence in government institutions.
“In his State of the Nation Address yesterday, the President directed all government functionaries to embrace a culture of quality orientation within the public sector. Our department and the Presidency will monitor cluster progress and address underperformance through corrective actions,” she concluded.
