Janet Wilhelm
New data shows the make-up of South Africans with jobs
Read online at Business Tech.
Chrome ore miners issue dire warnings over planned tariff
As many as 120,000 jobs at risk in SA in shift to renewable energy
Read online at Business Day.
Energy Transition Threatens 120,000 South African Coal Jobs
Read online at Bloomberg.
Presentation: The Global Future of Jobs Report
Report: The Future of Jobs Report 2020
Published since 2016 on a biennial basis, the Future of Jobs Report is one of the flagship publications of the World Economic Forum. In the context of the COVID-19 health pandemic, the 2020 edition will provide an overview of emerging and disrupted jobs and skills, of the projected expansion for mass reskilling and upskilling across industries and of the proactive adaptation measures that will be needed to ensure stable livelihoods for citizens across economies.
Presentation: South African STI Indicators Report
Report: South African Science, Technology and Innovation Indicators
The National Advisory Council on Innovation (NACI) 2020 report provides statistics and an assessment of South Africa's Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) performance. These statistics are contextualised globally to understand the state of STI in South Africa, given its important role in contributing to economic development and industrial policy in the country.
Background to Workshop
South African partners, represented by the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition (the dtic) and Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), in collaboration with the World Economic Forum convened a workshop on innovation and skills in South Africa. These issues are critical for the country’s post-COVID economic revival.
The workshop is part of the Closing the Skills and Innovation Gap Accelerator that kicked off earlier this year as part of the Global Network of Country Accelerators of the World Economic Forum. The Closing the Skills and Innovation Gap Accelerator is a platform for public-private action and collaboration in South Africa to identify, scale and accelerate selected initiatives that can contribute to closing the fundamental skills gap and increase the diffusion of innovative technologies and business models in South Africa, leading the country to a more inclusive and sustainable growth trajectory.
Objectives
The objective of the workshop is to:
- Improve public and private sector participants understanding of STI, the future of work, and the trends in innovation in South Africa against a global perspective;
- Highlight the importance of these issues in the context of COVID-19 with implications for economic growth and employment in South Africa, and of the actions and opportunities to transform the economy through reskilling and innovation; and
- Collect the views from relevant stakeholders in South Africa on these priority issues.
Agenda
10:00: Welcome and introductory remarks
10:10: Insights from the Future of Jobs Report
10:35: Insights from the NACI report on Science, Technology and Innovation indicators
11:00: Comments and discussion
11:15: Conclusions and next steps
To engage in this initiative, please contact: Saul Levin, TIPS, 083 326 0848, saul@tips.org.za
Future-proofing the plastics value chain in Southern Africa
WIDER Working Paper 2020/148
This working paper, Future-proofing the plastics value chain in Southern Africa, forms part of the project: Southern Africa – Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED)
Abstract
Plastics are ubiquitous across the region and play an important role in multiple industries. Most plastic products are based on a value chain that is grounded in petroleum refining, posing an environmental challenge. Plastic manufacturing in South Africa suffers from the high cost of polymers as inputs. Mozambique is endowed with large natural gas deposits.
This research assesses the potential for the sustainable development of a plastics value chain in Southern Africa, with the aim of future-proofing the industry against changes in the petroleum space while bolstering growth in plastics manufacture and fostering a more equitable regional distribution of plastics activities. This study found that there is strong regional value chain potential between South Africa and Mozambique, with Mozambique producing natural gas feedstock and South Africa providing labour, capital, and technology. South African plastic manufacturers could also benefit from better input prices derived from better priced natural gas from Mozambique.
Download Working Paper: https://www.wider.unu.edu/sites/default/files/Publications/Working-paper/PDF/wp2020-148.pdf
A Policy Brief based on the working Paper is also available: Unlocking a regional plastics value chain between Mozambique and South Africa
TIPS acknowledges the support of the SA-TIED programme for this working paper, with special thanks to UNU-WIDER and the South African Department of Trade and Industry.
Illicit financial flows (IFFs) of various kinds, and the role of tax havens in facilitating these flows, have come under increased scrutiny since the global financial crisis of 2007-2009. A series of high-profile scandals and leaks of sensitive information about how corporates and individuals organise their financial affairs to escape their social obligations have contributed to this interest.
This report explores the relevance of these for South Africa. It looks at definitions and basic mechanisms, and provides an overview of methodologies used to estimate IFFs. It presents a set of case studies that illustrate how these mechanisms operate in practice, and provides an indication of the scale of IFFs and which tax havens play a significant role in facilitating these. It then explores the channels through which IFFs and tax havens affect industrial development, and makes the case for an active role for industrial policy in protecting South Africa’s industrial base from IFF and tax haven exposure, setting out a number interventions that the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition and other government agencies may develop to reduce the impact on industry in South Africa, accompanied by research proposals aimed at enhancing such efforts.
Download Policy Brief: Illicit financial flows and industrial development in South Africa: A discussion of policy options
TIPS Webinar - Unravelling South Africa's Just Transition: Unpacking financial options
Marleny Arnoldi, Engineering News. 3 November 2020: Financing instruments need to be overhauled for a successful just transition
Background
This dialogue aims to inform this just transition process. It explores a number of possible options to finance the just transition process in South Africa. It is the fifth iteration of a series. The recording of previous events can be accessed here: Unravelling South Africa's Just Transition.
About the Speakers
Emily Tyler is an Economist at Meridian Economics. She has focused her career on climate mitigation in a development context, bringing both an economics and complex systems perspective to policy and practical challenges. She will discuss the role of transition finance for climate change mitigation, with a focus on a just climate transition for South Africa.
Jesse Burton is a Senior Associate at climate change think-tank E3G and a Researcher at the University of Cape Town (UCT). She has extensive knowledge and expertise on energy issues, particularly the coal value chains and just transitions. She will present work on the volume and politics of fossil fuel subsidies in South Africa.
Mike Ward is the Director and Founder of Creating Sustainable Value (CSV). He has extensive experience in the sustainability sector, including as a Chartered Director (SA). He is currently supporting the World Bank’s work on just transitions. He will present a case study on Climate Investment Funds (CIF) and just transitions in South Africa.
About the Facilitator
Gaylor Montmasson-Clair is a Senior Economist at TIPS, where he leads work on Sustainable Growth. He has carried out extensive research on the transition to an inclusive green economy from a developing country perspective, with a focus on policy frameworks, industrial development, just transition and resource security.
This webinar builds on a four earlier dialogues, hosted on 7 July, 29 September, 3 November and 17 November.
Read online at Mining Weekly.
The frustrating power of small groups
Business Day - 26 October 2020 by Neva Makgetla (TIPS Senior Economist)
Read online at Business Day.