The newly appointed members of the National Planning Commission (NPC) held their first meeting on Thursday to discuss national priorities and the implementation of the National Development Plan (NDP).
The Presidency said the meeting was convened by President Jacob Zuma at the Union Buildings in Pretoria.
The NPC was established to promote and institute long term planning in government.
“The first NPC team developed the NDP. The new NPC was appointed in September last year and is made up of 26 members, chaired by Minister in the Presidency for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Jeff Radebe,” said the Presidency.
The new commission is mandated to, among others, promote and advance the implementation of the NDP across different sectors of society; undertake detailed planning in a number of sectors to be determined from time to time; conduct regular engagements with various sectors of society on all matters pertaining to the long-term development of the country, and facilitate stakeholder engagements aimed at forging a social compact towards more effective implementation of the NDP.
The commission also has a responsibility to undertake research into long-term trends, analyse the implementation of short- to medium-term plans with a view to recommend improvements to government as well as produce reports to inform policy and planning; and to contribute to the development of international partnerships and networks on national planning.
“After the introduction of new members of the NPC, the meeting discussed the overview of its work in the coming months and years, and conveyed their sense of enthusiasm for the national task,” said the Presidency.
President Zuma said he was pleased with the first meeting and looked forward to its reports from time to time.
“… [This will] enable us to gauge progress, appreciate any challenges and take stock of the landmark achievements in the implementation of our country’s National Development Plan,” said the President.