Annual report confirms it’s time to scrap Economic Development Department
The Economic Development Department (EDD)’s Annual Report for 2014/15 proves that EDD provides very little bang for its almost-R700 million buck.
The Department has failed dismally to accelerate job creation, promote inclusive growth and provide economic policy coherence across government.
It should be closed down and its powers and functions transferred to the National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI).
EDD’s core mandate is to “facilitate and accelerate job creation across the economy”. By any measure, it has failed miserably. The Annual Report claims that employment grew by 405 000 jobs between March 2014 and March 2015. But this figure is distorted by the fact that government created 100 000 temporary jobs in the second quarter of last year ahead of the elections in May.