TIPS (NPC)

[REMINDER - CALL FOR PAPERS] @TIPS_NPC will host its Annual Forum on 30-31 July 2025 at the @Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), 19 Fredman Drive, Sandown. The theme is the AfCFTA, regional integration and industrial development. Authors are invited to submit an abstract of up to 500 words. To be considered, abstracts should be submitted by Friday 28 March 2025. Authors will be notified of the decision by Friday 9 May 2025. Final papers are due for submission by Friday 27 June 2025. Abstract submissions should include full contact details of the authors. If you wish to contribute, please submit the title of your paper and the abstract to Daphney Mabuza at TIPS via email to: dialogue@tips.org.za Read more here: https://ow.ly/uWO050UMvah

[TIPS IS HIRING] Are you an eager learner and creative thinker with a passion for digital strategy? Trade & Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS) is seeking a Multimedia Intern. The internship is for 12 months. Read more here: https://ow.ly/LWmM50UIsYr

Hot off the press! And into a policy debate that is heating up right now, too. This paper examines the role of Public Employment Programs (PEPs) in South Africa’s evolving social protection landscape and the transformative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, which led to the introduction of the Social Relief of Distress (SRD) Grant and also the Presidential Employment Stimulus (PES). It argues that these initiatives have redefined the relationship between social assistance and public employment, in which these are complementary dimensions of an integrated approach to social protection, that allows for layered and differentiated support across the spectrum of the economically excluded. Until the advent of the SRD grant, PEPs were the only form of social assistance for many unemployed people in South Africa and yet their scale fell woefully short of the scale of need. This placed huge pressure on PEPs to spread the benefits as widely as possible, leading to downward pressures on wages and shorter and shorter durations of employment – undermining both the social protection and employment benefits of participation in work. With the SRD Grant now providing a foundational level of social assistance at a much wider scale, PEPs are able to focus more strongly on what differentiates them from such social assistance – which is the added value of work, for participants, for communities and for the economy, too: as part not only of social protection but of employment policy also. The crisis context of the pandemic created the opportunity for the PES to take PEPs to significantly greater scale – while also demonstrating what such a differentiated approach could look like. Now we need to build on those lessons – and take it to the next level, in terms of scale as well as quality of outcomes, across the PEP landscape. Read all about it! Thank you for support to Anda David and Agence Française de Développement, to Mariam Homayoun and the EU Inequality Facility, to TIPS (NPC) and to all those who contributed to ideas and peer review along the way! Zak Essa Ugo Gentilini Maikel Lieuw-Kie-Song Mito Tsukamoto Christina Behrendt Lebogang Madiba https://lnkd.in/dT_z2qdv

TIPS will host its Annual Forum on Tuesday and Wednesday, 30 - 31 July 2025. The 2025 TIPS Forum seeks to deepen understanding of the implications of the AfCFTA and regional integration on industrial development in Southern Africa. Through expanding trade and investment between countries on the continent, the AfCFTA, along with regional integration, opens the opportunity for strengthening industrial development on the continent. Authors are invited to submit an abstract of up to 500 words. To be considered, abstracts should be submitted by Friday 28 March 2025. Authors will be notified of the decision by Friday 9 May 2025. Final papers are due for submission by Friday 27 June 2025. Abstract submissions should include full contact details of the authors. If you wish to contribute, please submit the title of your paper and the abstract to Daphney Mabuza at TIPS via email to: dialogue@tips.org.za For further details of how to submit your abstract go to: https://ow.ly/ytN550UCeFF #AfCFTA #TIPSFORUM2025 #INDUSTRIALDEVELOPMENT #REGIONALINTEGRATION

Are there opportunities in the South African #steel industry amid the wind down of #AMSA's Longs Business? TIPS (NPC) published an evaluation - Options for Long Steel in South Africa last year analysing the costs, benefits and risks for different constituencies. See the link to the report: https://lnkd.in/dzR9RQJW

𝗝𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝗗𝗲𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗯𝗼𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗘𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗼𝗺𝘆 (𝗝𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗦𝗔)  The Just Transition to a Decarbonised Economy for South Africa ⭐ (JUST SA) program supports the implementation of pathways towards an environmentally #sustainable, #climatechangeresilient, #lowcarboneconomy and #justsociety.  JUST SA, as one of three bilateral climate action projects, is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action (BMWK) through the International Climate Initiative (IKI) and in partnership with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE). It is implemented by a consortium comprised of GIZ South Africa, Lesotho & eSwatini, TIPS (NPC), the National Business Initiative (NBI), the World Wildlife Fund South Africa (WWF), and in close collaboration with the Mpumalanga Green Cluster Agency (MGCA), the Just Energy Transition Project Management Unit (JET PMU) and the Presidential Climate Commission (PCC) and others. 💡JUST SA has three approaches:   🌍At the national level, the project supports key national stakeholders and the implementation of key policy documents like the Just Transition Framework as well as dialogue for and information sharing to a multi-level stakeholder group, ensuring an inclusive and results-oriented process.  🗾At regional level, the project capacitates and assists provincial stakeholders in Mpumalanga like the MGCA in formulating and implementing concrete and sustainable alternative developmental pathways for a diversified regional economy and supports targeted SMMEs to unlock their growth potential for just transition and receive access to finance.  🏡At the local level, the project pilots and scales activities in selected municipalities of Mpumalanga, provides bottom-up approaches to community development and capacity building to municipalities in the JET as well as concrete training and coaching of small businesses.  Furthermore, environmental risks of mine closure and rehabilitation are addressed with a focus on mine water treatment through research, policy implementation and community engagement. Business opportunities on land to be rehabilitated are being explored and supported and lessons learnt fed back into the dialogue process . To read more on JUST SA and stay up to date with their news, follow them at JUST SA 

Based on 10,000 respondents’ views on paying more for environmental protection, supporting green policies, and overcoming barriers, these are the global leaders in green economy engagement. 🏆 Top 3 Countries: 1️⃣ India (Score: 4.13) 2️⃣ Peru (Score: 3.97) 3️⃣ Indonesia (Score: 3.87) These nations are setting the standard for sustainable practices and public commitment to a greener future. 📖 Explore more insights: https://lnkd.in/e_uzdTeh #GreenEconomy #Sustainability #GlobalLeadership #SustainableLeadership #SustainableFuture

[PODCAST - NEW EPISODE OUT] Looking for fresh insights on South Africa's economic policies, industrial growth, and sustainability? Tune into TIPS Podcasts every Tuesday for expert discussions and in-depth analysis. From manufacturing to trade, we’ve got all the topics covered! Catch this interview with APORDE Alumni, Asma Othman, an aspiring Social Entrepreneur in providing technological solutions for Africa’s development here 👉https://ow.ly/FxTe50UpwVh Listen to all our podcasts here: https://ow.ly/vHIq50UpwVf & https://ow.ly/zTQo50UpwVc

South Africa’s #GDP shrank by 0.35% in this third quarter of 2024. The main driver was a reported 29% drop in agricultural production, mostly due to the drought in inland provinces of Limpopo, Mpumalanga, the North West, the Northern Cape and Gauteng. The #drought was associated with both higher temperatures and lower rainfall in these regions, affecting all kinds of crops as well as grazing lands. For more analysis on this, See TIPS (NPC)’s thirds quarter analysis of the economy here: https://lnkd.in/dNnRz7-6 #climatechange #GDP TIPS (NPC)

JUST SA