NSG rolling out public servants with economic policy-making skills

The COVID-19 and the Economy course is a blended online course focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy as part of strengthening the country’s response to the pandemic.

The National School of Government (NSG) is rolling out three high-impact economic courses aimed at equipping public servants with economic policy-making and governance skills.

The courses are being offered as part of building a capable developmental state led by public sector managers and leaders who are equipped to develop and implement practical policies that will enable the government to meet the key challenges of inclusive economic growth, job creation and socio-economic transformation.

Public servants, appointed and elected across the national, provincial and local spheres of government, the legislative sector, state-owned enterprises (SOE’s), development finance institutions (DFI’s) and other organs of state are invited to enrol for the courses.

The COVID-19 and the Economy course is a blended online course focusing on the impact of COVID-19 on the economy as part of strengthening the country’s response to the pandemic.

The course is run in partnership with the Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), an economic research institution supporting trade and economic policy development, working with the Department of Trade, Industry and Competition.

The course primarily targets public sector officials who engage directly and/or indirectly with economic policy.

It is facilitated by Dr Neva Makgetla, a senior economist at TIPS with over 25 years of experience as an economist at an executive management level in government and the labour movement.

The course aims to link the understanding of the pandemic to the impact on the South African economy, and challenges participants to creatively use resources, partnerships and networks to sustain programmes aimed at investment promotion, development financing and job creation.

It builds on vast research conducted by TIPS on industrial policy implementation including recent studies on COVID-19 and the economy.

These studies reflect on international experiences, sectors studies and explore macro and micro-level interventions necessary to rebuild the economy.

The Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS) course is a blended online Socio-Economic Impact Assessment System (SEIAS) course aiming to improve the quality of public policymaking through sharpening the policy formulation capabilities of elected and appointed officials.

All policies and proposed legislation that is to go through Cabinet are required to go through the SEIAS process.

The course targets government officials and public office bearers in national, provincial and local spheres who are involved in policymaking and the legislation development cycle.

These are officials and leaders who are involved in commissioning, writing, research and analysis, monitoring and evaluation and stakeholder consultation.

They will learn to implement the SEIAS, which is a mandatory analysis tool aimed at determining the likely costs and socio-economic benefits of policy proposals such as legislation, policies, municipal bylaws and regulations.

The Governance Capacity Building for South Africa course is for senior public servants, members of legislatures and councillors, aimed at further improving efficiency in governance run by the NSG in partnership with the China-Africa Institute at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

It aims to build the governance capacity of participants by exposing them to China’s governance system that has driven economic growth and development.

The short course will cover themes such as China’s Social Governance, China’s Five-Year Planning System, China’s Political System and Modernisation of Governance System, History and Development of China’s Reform and Opening Up, China-South Africa Relations and Cooperation Prospects as well as the thoughts of President Xi Jinping on governance.

The course will be delivered from 06-17 September 2021.

The course is delivered as part of the partnership and cooperation between South Africa and the People’s Republic of China in various fields, including public administration.

The China-Africa Economic Cooperation Under the Belt and Road Initiative course is for senior public servants, members of legislatures and councillors.

This course aimed at exchanging views with African officials and scholars on topics of common concerns and share the research achievements by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences in China’s macroeconomic situation, the path of China’s reform and opening-up, The Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) and international development, international value chain and industrial cooperation, international economics and finance, as well as international trade and investment.

The course will add value to officials involved in the pursuit of priority number 2 of Government which is to transform the economy and create jobs.

The course will be delivered from 18-29 September 2021 in partnership with the University of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China-Africa Institute and the African Management Development Institutes Network. The course is also open to officials from other African countries in pursuit of intercontinental trade.

For enrolment and inquiries phone 086100 8326 or email ContactCentre@TheNSG.gov.za or visit www.thensg.gov.za 

(With Inputs from South African Government Press Release)