Following last week’s CEO panel that met with President Cyril Ramaphosa to help pull the country back from the brink of socio-economic disaster, Discovery founder and chief executive officer Adrian Gore has outlined several aspects he believes are crucial for the initiative to succeed.
This is what he posted this morning.
1. “A focus on key enablers that can turn the flywheel, create jobs, and change sentiment: We are focusing on three work streams that we agreed will “turn the flywheel” and create traction and momentum: energy, logistics (road, rail, and ports), and crime and corruption. Each of these are important enablers that have a fundamental effect on the economy, jobs, and the quality of life of all South Africans.
2. “Individual commitment and engagement of key CEOs – at scale: A significant number of CEOs of South Africa’s largest companies are directly involved, leading the three work streams or providing support, resources, and skills at the frontline. It has been remarkable to see business leadership’s belief in the potential of our country and their undertaking to help address the challenges we face.
3. “Tight governance between business and government under the auspices of the President: Clear governance and oversight structures have been established, with the work being directed through the government-led National Energy Crisis Committee (NECOM), National Logistics Crisis Committee (NLCC), and proposed Joint Initiative to Fight Crime and Corruption (JICC) – overseen by a Joint Strategic Operations Committee (JSOC). The partnership will report to the President every six weeks to ensure progress and unblock issues as they emerge.”
Gore added: “In addition, a piece of research is being conducted on how best to accelerate job creation – noting that economic growth is the primary enabler – and identifying initiatives that work that could be scaled.
“Furthermore, a strong communications capability has been established to ensure that the public is kept up to date on progress and to instil accountability and transparency throughout the process.
“In creating these structures, key lessons from the vaccine rollout have been drawn on, given they created a world-class, country-wide capability through a public-private partnership, focus, and structure.”
Gore emphasised that “this is a critical time for our country: to overcome our challenges requires commitment, focus, and traction. It won’t be easy, it won’t be without issues, but we must move quickly.”
