South African President Cyril Ramaphosa has praised the collaboration between government and business in addressing key national challenges, particularly in the energy sector, saying it is “essential to the growth of our economy and the progress of our country”.
He says his Government of National Unity, will seek to deepen this partnership for the country to build a conducive environment for investment, growth and job creation.
In his first address at the Annual General Meeting of Business Unity South Africa (BUSA), since the May elections, Mr Ramaphosa highlighted recent achievements in tackling issues such as power shortages, logistics inefficiencies, and corruption.
“South Africa has now gone for five consecutive months without loadshedding,” the president said, referring to the country’s term for rolling blackouts.
He credited this progress to the partnership between government and business, noting that the private sector had “deployed substantial resources, capacity and expertise to Eskom and government to support the implementation of the Energy Action Plan”.
The president emphasised the need to build on this success, calling for a renewed focus on job creation in the next phase of the partnership.
“With our far-reaching reforms gaining momentum, the second phase of our partnership with business requires a firm focus on employment creation,” Mr Ramaphosa stated.
He outlined several areas for potential growth, including tourism, business process outsourcing, and the digital economy. The president also stressed the importance of equipping the workforce with digital skills to adapt to evolving labour market demands.
Mr Ramaphosa acknowledged that disagreements between government and business may arise but urged continued engagement.
“We must accept that there will, from time to time, be areas on which we may disagree,” he said. “We should not let this deter us from the work we need to do.”
The address comes as South Africa grapples with high unemployment rates and sluggish economic growth. The president’s call for deeper collaboration with the business sector signals a commitment to addressing these challenges through public-private partnerships.
As the country moves forward, Mr Ramaphosa emphasised the shared goal of inclusive growth: “Let us build a South Africa where every citizen has the opportunity to contribute to and benefit from our economic progress.”
