Western Cape establishes economic ‘war room’

In a move designed to unblock inhibitors of economic growth, the Western Cape has established a war room. In his first State of the Province address, Western Cape Premier Alan Winde said the war room would be funded by Harvard University and was aimed at tackling specific problems and sectors of the economy. “In its pilot phase, it is made up of teams from the province, the City of Cape Town and the private sector, who are all focused on unblocking growth obstacles in the
construction and property industries, informal light manufacturing sector, the Atlantis manufacturing hub, and in tech and BPO.” The war room, said Winde, had also been tasked with looking at the pressing challenge of commuter mobility, with the Cape Town city region ranked as one of the most congested nodes in the world. Winde said the war room would play an integral role in creating an environment where the Western Cape could keep itself competitive and resilient.