This week, some of South Africa and the world’s sharpest minds are gathering at the Cape Town International Convention Centre for the News24 On the Record summit, with one core mandate: to find credible solutions to deliver 5 million jobs in the next decade.
President Cyril Ramaphosa will deliver the opening keynote on Thursday, emphasizing the need for collective problem-solving to address the country’s jobs crisis. As he stated in his recent State of the Nation Address, “Now is not the time to rest. Now is the time for all South Africans to be part of taking our country forward.”
Expert Insights
The summit features a lineup of renowned speakers, including professor of economics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Dr Keyu Jin; Irish economist, best-selling author and popular podcaster, David McWilliams; and Investec Asset Management founder and Ninety One CEO, Hendrik du Toit. According to the World Bank, unemployment rates in South Africa have been steadily increasing over the years, highlighting the need for effective solutions.
Other speakers and panellists at the event include Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Dele Olojede; News24’s assistant editor for investigations Pieter du Toit; Business editor Helena Wasserman; Business writer-at-large Carol Paton; deputy editor Ahmed Areff; and editor-in-chief Adriaan Basson. The masters of ceremonies, veteran journalists Devi Sankaree Govender and Bruce Whitfield, will lead the audience through the two days of discussions and panels.
Research and Solutions
Last year, News24 partnered with Ipsos to conduct a representative poll on South Africa’s biggest challenges, with the answer from South Africans being unequivocal – we need more jobs. This On the Record summit follows a nine-month research project undertaken by News24 and the Africa Centre, which consulted with around 60 influential South Africans across academia, business, and civil society on tangible solutions to create 5 million jobs in the next 10 years.
Some potential solutions to be discussed at the summit include:
- Shutting down the construction mafia and building new cities
- Criminalizing cronyism and focusing on genuine black economic empowerment
- Investing in education and skills development to prepare the workforce for the future
News24 has collected the research into a physical booklet that will be distributed at the summit, and has also published the research in four special editions of our weekly Friday Briefings.
