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Africa calls for rural people to be included in IDP
28 July 2005
Finance and Economic Development MEC, Darkey Africa, says Integrated Development Plans (IDPs) should by no means be viewed as exclusively government programmes, but should bring on board all rural local stakeholders into a process and a plan that addresses each and every rural stakeholder's priorities by selecting programmes that speak directly to those individual and collective priorities.
MEC Africa was on behalf of Premier Edna Molewa addressing the Kgalagadi District Municipality Growth and Development Summit held in Mushaweng Local Municipality on Thursday, 28 July 2005.
"The main vehicle of expression and implementation of the strategy we will formulate from the summit has to be the Integrated Development Plan as a legitimate instrument that can achieve results on the ground.
"Without the Integrated Development Plans, there is no basis for planning, for integration or implementation. IDPs are the chief mechanisms for bringing all our social partners at local level to a common process that gives priority to the needs of the community and actively promotes the social and economic development of these communities," says MEC Africa.
The MEC says government has long adopted an inter-governmental planning and implementation system that synthesises the National and provincial Growth and Development Strategies, which then has to cascade down to the district and municipal levels to ensure smooth and synergised planning and integrated execution of development programmes among all spheres of government.
MEC Africa indicated that the Kgalagadi Node was announced by President Thabo Mbeki as a special Presidential Project of the Government's Integrated Sustainable Rural Development Strategy designed to bring about significant reductions in levels of poverty, to stimulate economic growth and development, as well as build capacity in rural areas across the country.
"I must add that we are very fortunate in our province to have a business sector that intimately identifies itself with the important task of growth and development of our communities.
"The Kgalagadi District Growth and Development Summit is therefore a golden opportunity for us rural people to realise our own potential and contribute more fully to the province and the country's social and economic activities," he adds.
Cornelius Monama
Spokesperson: North West Provincial Government
Tel: (018) 387 3456
Cell: 082 578 4063
Enquiries: Barry Morkel
Cell: 082 823 3339
Issued by: North West Provincial Government
28 July 2005