South Africa launched a private-sector driven Maritime Industry Development Task Force Network (MIDTFN) to drive the country’s blue economy strategy outlined through the Operation Phakisa (Oceans Economy) government programme launched all of eight years ago.
The country’s Comprehensive Maritime Transport Policy (CMTP) implementation by the Department of Transport and through which as much as R177-billion in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) contribution could be unlocked in the maritime sector alone, and with it, the creation of close on a million jobs in the next decade, will need it.
The goal of the formation of the network, according to both the network and the DoT is to provide a platform upon which the country’s maritime economic sector can combine seamlessly to form a social compact in execution of efforts towards rapid development of the country’s maritime industry which, by their own admission; lacks desired progress.
To ensure appropriate, equitable representation of all involved and interested, according to Prasheen Maharaj, the Network is a collective of work streams or ‘task forces’ representative of several subsectors for each of private sector identified priority investment and development areas in the country’s maritime industry.
During launch of the network in Durban on 11 August 2022, six of these task forces – all led by private sector appointed representatives – were already in existence and operational.
Collectively, the network will serve as a conduit for joint effort and collaboration with Government and other maritime economic sector stakeholders in South Africa and abroad to drive investment and business development while contributing to resolution of the country’s triple challenges of inequality, unemployment and poverty.
