South Africa Archive - Page 2 of 6

Sustainable Industrial Areas Conference group picture

10th International Sustainable Industrial Areas Conference in Cairo

Written by Support on 5. July 2023. Posted in Countries, South Africa.

Strengthening Regional Industrial Competitiveness and Economic Resilience

Industrialisation is a priority for many governments in developing and emerging economies. While it comes with strong potential for economic growth, social and environmental consequences of an accelerating industrialisation need to be considered.

Therefore, the 6^th to 7^th of June 2023 witnessed the convening of the 10^th International Sustainable Industrial Areas Conference (SIA Conference) in Cairo, Egypt. Curated under the theme “Strengthening Regional Industrial Competitiveness and Economic Resilience”, the two-day event provided an important platform for lively debates, insightful engagements, and learning exchanges. Prior to the event, pre-conference site visits were conducted with four industrial parks located in Cairo; namely Polaris International Industrial Parks, CPC Industrial Park, ElSewedy 10^th Industrial Park and Industrial Development Group (IDG).

“10th International Sustainable Industrial Areas (SIA) Conference”, June 2023.

During the two days, around 250 attendees representing multiple sectors from more than 20 countries converged to cover diverse topics, ranging from just transition towards carbon neutrality through industrial symbiosis and circular economy approaches as well as the role of private sector development. Furthermore, presentations were held on several topics, including financing SIA, SIA concept planning and capacity building, as well as the creation of green jobs. The Natural Resources Stewardship Programme, represented by Ms Amanda Nyingwa, presented at the conference on Methodologies for Supporting Sustainability and Resilience in Economic Zones.

Key takeaways

The rich information emanating from presentations, site visits and more informally during walkthroughs of exhibited booths from industrial developers brought about the following key takeaways for the aim of strengthening regional industrial competitiveness and economic resilience:

Mainstream the unconventional – “inclusivity and liveability” – for a competitive industrial park: Ensuring an inclusive and liveable industrial park is still relatively viewed as unconventional. However, these very aspects make an industrial park competitive in terms of investor location and potential employees, as it allows firms to attract the best talent. As examples, IDG has integrated a pharmacy, day care centre, hotel and coordinated transport facilities for workers within their park; similarly this is the case for CPC Industrial Park. These unconventional additions which strike a balance between social and economic needs have the potential to increase the competitiveness and attractiveness of these industrial areas.

Hotel and co-working space at IDG Industrial Park. ©GIZ/Amanda Nyingwa

Capacity building matters for informed uptake of sustainable industrial area concepts: Ensuring integration of sustainable industrial development approaches is a highly engaging process which can often be overwhelming for industrialists and developers. As a result, lesson learning events and capacity building initiatives which help them navigate and map out context-specific measures for sustainable industrial development are vital. Therefore, as more industries and industrial areas are compelled to transition towards cleaner production processes, it is imperative that a broader suit of capacity building initiatives are unveiled – particularly through development organisations like GIZ, United Nations Industrial Development Organisation (UNIDO) and World Bank.

Mrs Elvira Kanichay from GIZ Egypt providing the opening address ©SIA Conference

Private sector is under pressure to ensure green production – what stimulants exists to move things forward? A keyacknowledgement during the conference was that manufactures and private sector understand the urgency for cleaner and more resource efficient production. This acknowledgement was also followed with the question on what resources exists to stimulate, incentivise and recognise efforts for cleaner production? The Eco-Industrial Park Framework, the Net Zero Water Concept and the Access to Finance Tool developed by the National Cleaner Production Centre in South Africa were some of the resources tabled. Additionally, an announcement of steps towards ensuring that the EIP Framework is translated to ISO Standard was mentioned as one of the levers for recognising green production. However, it is clear that more action is required to stimulate efforts for resource efficiency and cleaner production.
Bold action and collective efforts are needed from public, private sector and civil society – Bold action is needed from the public sector on eco-industrial development. This action can take the form of political will or be more institutionalised in the form of national policy or decrees. The latter is the case with Vietnam’s Ministry of Planning and Investment. Such bold actions support collective movements towards ensuring that the industrial park landscape of a country embodies eco-industrial development across various levels. In addition, it catalyses action for cross-sectoral collaboration with private sector and civil society within industrial areas. Multistakeholder partnerships facilitated through the NatuReS Natural Risk and Assessment Framework have proven to be critical vehicles for driving localised action while offering potential for wider societal benefits.

Amanda Nyingwa presenting on cross-sectoral action for sustainable industrial areas — NatuReS Advisor Amanda Nyingwa facilitating Session 4: Show cases for SIA Transformation ©GIZ/Amanda Nyingwa

About SIA Conference Concept and Convenors

The International Conferences on Sustainable Industrial Areas (SIA) bring experts from all over the world together to discuss recent trends, best practices, and future development of SIA. The conferences serve as an international platform for exchanging knowledge about sustainable industrial development of industrial areas worldwide. In the past, there have been similar International SIA Conferences in India, China, Indonesia, Turkey, Mexico, Morocco, Egypt, and Ethiopia. The approach of “Sustainable Industrial Areas (SIA)” promotes sustainable industrial development by balancing environmental, economic, and social aspects.

The SIA Conference was organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) under the “Invest for Jobs” programme and as part of implementing the special initiative “Decent Work for a Just Transition” (SI Jobs) on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Cooperation and Economic Development (BMZ). The conference is jointly organized with the World Bank Group (WBG) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) – together with the Egyptian Ministry of Trade & Industry (MTI) and the Industrial Development Authority of Egypt (IDA).

South African National Industrial Parks Summit 2023: Unleashing the Potential of Industrial Parks as Pillars of Economic Growth

Written by Support on 17. May 2023. Posted in Countries, South Africa.

Collective Drive for Industrial Parks Revitalisation

On 20 – 21 April 2023, a landmark event in the South African industrial scene was held: the National Industrial Parks Summit. A dynamic collaboration involving the Department of Trade Industry and Competition (the dtic), National Treasury, the National Cleaner Production Centre South Africa (NCPC-SA), and supported by Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH-Natural Resources Stewardship Programme (GIZ-NatuReS) led to the convening of the National Industrial Parks Summit. The two-day summit under the theme “Positioning Industrial Parks as Engines of Growth, Industrialisation and Investments: Through a Reimagined Implementation Framework” served as a vibrant platform for over 150 stakeholders to exchange ideas, expertise and knowledge towards a new approach for the accelerated development of industrial parks in South Africa.

Deputy Minister, **the dtic** Ms Nomalungelo Gina giving opening address ©NCPC-SA

The Impetus for Reimagined Industrial Parks

In recent years, industrial parks have been beset with challenges ranging from vandalism, lack of basic services like water and electricity, infrastructure issues, to governance problems. This has led to significant job losses and a decline in their performance. Despite these hurdles, industrial parks hold tremendous potential as key nodes for large-scale economic development, employment, and as a catalyst for the country’s reindustrialisation agenda.

At the event, Deputy Minister of Trade, Industry and Competition, Ms Nomalungelo Gina, emphasised that “it is crucial for establishing a collective path to retain, sustain and grow investments and jobs through a Reimagined Industrial Implementation Framework while addressing critical outcomes such as social development, sustainability and economic growth.”

Strategic Plans for Revitalizing Industrial Parks

The Summit concluded with the adoption of key resolutions, which emerged from six breakaway Commissions. Each Commission focused on different aspects of the industrial park ecosystem. These resolutions include the establishment of a technical task team, comprising of key stakeholders, to develop the New Implementation Framework for the National Programme on Industrial Parks.

Other key resolutions include the establishment of a rapid response team to urgently resolve bottleneck issues in parks, defining incentives for investors, catalysing partnerships and integrating eco-industrial development, resilience approaches and stewardship to provide a more attractive environment for investment.

National Organising Partners of National Summit – representatives from, **the dtic**, National Treasury, CSIR, NCPC-SA, GIZ NatuReS and Swiss Economic Cooperation and Development (SECO)

Building the Future of Industrial Parks

Going forward, the dtic also plans to conduct district roadshows to raise awareness and build capacity on the importance of the industrial parks and their ecosystems to communities and other critical stakeholders. As they are instrumental for South Africa’s development pathway, initiatives like the National Summit offer a unique opportunity for sector stakeholders to collaboratively shape industrial parks into effective enablers for economic growth and job creation.

In essence, the National Industrial Parks Summit marked a significant step in the collective effort to unlock the vast potential of South Africa’s industrial parks. The spirit of collaboration and the shared vision of the event’s contributors have set the stage for a more vibrant, resilient, and sustainable future for South Africa’s industrial landscape.

For further information on the National Summit Resolutions visit the dtic website: click here

Sharing Insights on Stewardship Partnerships at the Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Dialogue in South Africa

Written by Support on 13. April 2023. Posted in South Africa, Tansania Editor, Uncategorized.

Participants at the Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Dialogue . Copyright: FANRPAN

From 13-15 March 2023, stakeholders from the public sector, representatives of regional economic communities (RECs), academic and research institutions, the scientific community, and civil society gathered to share knowledge, and experience in the “Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Dialogue, transitioning to resilient farming in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).”

At the conference, our NatuReS colleague, Aristarick Mkenda, shared insights from stewardship partnerships in the Pangani Basin in Tanzania. The dialogue was convened by the Transforming Smallholder Irrigation in Southern Africa (TISA) consortium in collaboration with the Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources Policy Analysis Network (FANRPAN) at the University of Pretoria’s Future Africa Campus in Pretoria, South Africa. The conference theme was “Transitioning to Climate-Resilient Farming Systems in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA),” focusing on the next generation of research, smart technology, policy development and best practices.

Plenary session at the Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Dialogue . Copyright: FANRPAN

The Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Dialogue Goals:

The Policy Dialogue aimed to accomplish the following:

Share data demonstrating the value of climate-smart farming in SSA’s transition to resilient farming communities.
Provide suggestions on how to scale up the development of climate-smart and resilient farming systems in SSA.
Networking and encouraging collaborations and action

Social inclusion in the context of agriculture and food systems, water resources use, and climate action, was one of the conference’s important sub-themes. Communities, women and youths crucially contribute to agriculture and SSA catchments as farmers, workers and entrepreneurs. Depending on the regions, these groups face distinct constraints that reduce their productivity and limit their contributions to agricultural production, family livelihoods, and economic growth. As a result, the importance of context-sensitive and inclusive approaches to support them was emphasized.

Stewardship partnerships presentation during the 5^th plenary session. Copyright: FANRPAN

Presentation on: Addressing Water Security through Water Stewardship Partnerships. Experiences from the Pangani Basin in Tanzania

NatuReS colleague Aristarick Mkenda shared perspectives on stewardship partnerships as a possible solution to increase effective stakeholder participation and representation to address shared challenges in water-stressed catchments. Sustainable and participatory water management, thereby, is fundamental to sustainable agriculture. His presentation was based on his co-authored scientific article (Richards et al., 2022) for the Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) that analysed the partnership approach as a solution for inclusive participation. The partnerships facilitated by NatuReS in the Pangani River Basin in Tanzania served as empirical data.

Stewardship partnerships answer other IWRM implementation gaps. For example, additional financing from private sector partners can overcome the need for more funds to implement projects.

A productive discussion with the participants followed the presentation, in which challenges and their possible solutions of stewardship partnerships were discussed, such as costs of participation and balanced involvement of the private sector.

Collaboration to Address the Growing Complexity in the Agricultural Sector

In the concluding remarks of the conferences, Prof. Jammie Pittock from Australian National University (ANU) highlighted that the objectives in the agricultural sector have become much more complicated since they have grown from simply producing food to cover diverse societal needs and adapting to climate variability. The complexity of the issues and topics in agriculture is making collaborations and partnerships between individuals and sectors more important now than ever.

We thank the “Climate Smart Agriculture Policy Dialogue” and its inspiring participants for the invitation and the productive conference days and are looking forward to more valuable exchanges.

For more information about addressing water security through water stewardship partnerships, you can access the research article here.

First International Learning Exchange on WASH in Schools in Africa

Written by Support on 4. April 2023. Posted in Countries, South Africa, Zambia.

Globally, 2.1 billion people lack access to safe, readily available water, and 4.5 billion people lack safely managed sanitation. This is especially problematic in schools, where many pupils and teachers gather every day, and diseases like Covid-19 can spread easily if water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) provision is lacking.

From 13th to 17th of March 2023, the first ever International Learning Exchange on WASH in Schools (WinS) took place on the African continent. The annual event, which was held before in South- and South-East Asia for 10 years, was hosted in Grand-Bassam in Côte d’Ivoire. The jointly organized event by UNICEF and GIZ brought together 103 participants from 26 different African nations like Kenya, Mali, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda, South Africa and Zambia, as well as Sweden, USA, Germany and the Philippines.

group picture — Group picture of participants at the first WASH in schools learning event hosted in Africa. Copyright: GIZ/Felix Chabala

Partnering for an improved access to WASH in Schools

The learning exchange provided an opportunity to connect Ministries of Education and their key WASH in Schools partners (NGOs, INGOS and development partners), while providing partners with a forum to explore concepts for regional and global collaboration on WASH in Schools and related emerging thematic areas with global experts. The country teams also had the opportunity to present their respective experiences, fostering a stronger exchange between different African countries and other stakeholders. This also enabled them to draw lessons from each other’s experiences and tools to stimulate and facilitate sustainable scaling-up of WASH in School programming in their respective countries.

presentation at wash in schools event — Grace Mwanza from GIZ Zambia moderates the international learning event. Copyright: GIZ/Jonas Kertscher

School visits, discussions and practical lessons

The 5-day event also included school visits to give participants the chance to observe on-the-ground activities and facilities, Monitoring & Evaluation systems, and have discussions with teachers, learners, and the school management staff to draw on their practical lessons.

NatuReS teams from Zambia and South Africa supported the event together with key stakeholders from their respective countries, and shared insights from their work implemented and planned around WASH in Schools.

Experiences from South Africa and Zambia

The country team Zambia comprised of two partners from the NatuReS programme, as well as the School Hygiene and Nutrition (SHN) Director from the Zambian Ministry of Education and the LuWSI Coordinator. The SHN Director presented the current state of monitoring of WASH in relation to the SDGs in Zambia and also shared the successes with regards to budget allocation towards the roll-out of reusable menstrual hygiene pads.

The South African team, which just started a work package around WASH in Schools as part of a DeveloPPP project with Unilever, used the insightful event to connect with key stakeholders and learn more about the WinS approach.

school toilets in Côte d'Ivoire — A frequently vandalized toilet block of a school in an informal settlement in Aboisso is misused for gatherings, including the consumption of alcohol and drugs, making it unusable for pupils. Copyright: GIZ/Jonas Kertscher

Innovations for taking WASH in Schools to the next level

The learning event also brought out several innovations in WinS like the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) currently being applied in teacher training schools for Infection Prevention Control in Malawi. The event was also characterised by exhibits of various innovative products like cost effective group handwashing facility designs, reusable menstrual pads and more. By exchanging experiences and sharing best practices, participants aim at taking WASH in Schools to the next level!