President Cyril Ramaphosa has appointed members of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council to guide the 7th Administration in pursuing rapid, inclusive, and sustainable economic growth and job creation.
This is the same committee that economist Thabi Leoka slapped with a R500 000 fine by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) for lying about having a PhD from the London School of Economics served before Ramaphosa terminated her membership in January this year.
RAMAPHOSA NAMES MEMBERS OF PRESIDENTIAL ECONOMIC ADVISORY COUNCIL
Presidency spokesperson Vincent Magwenya said Ramaphosa has set up the Council to ensure greater coherence and consistency in implementing economic policy and to better equip the government and society, in general, to respond to changing economic circumstances.
Magwenya said that the Council, comprising local and international economic thought leaders, advises the President and government more broadly, helping to develop and implement economic policies that spur inclusive growth.
“The Council is a non-statutory and independent body chaired by the President and brings together prominent economists and technical experts drawn from academia, the private sector, labour, community, think tanks, and other constituencies. The members who will volunteer their time are appointed for the term of the 7th Administration,” he said.
The Council constitutes expertise in international economics, macroeconomics (including fiscal policy and monetary economics), labour economics, economics of education and poverty, inequality, and urban development.
Further, Magwenya explained that other areas of insight entail microeconomics, focusing on network industries, regulation and competition, trade, energy, and climate change.
HERE ARE THE MEMBERS:
The members of the economic advisory council follow the profile of Dr Renosi Mokate who is the deputy chairperson:
- Dr Renosi Mokate (Deputy Chairperson) is the Executive Chair of Concentric Alliance and the Chair of the Government Employees Pension Fund.
- Dr Antonio Andreoni – A Professor of Development Economics at the Department of Economics of SOAS University of London and Co-Director of the Centre for Sustainable Structural Transformation (CSST).
- Prof Haroon Bhorat – A Professor of Economics and Director of the Development Policy Research Unit at the University of Cape Town.
- Dr Kenneth Creamer – A Senior Lecturer in the School of Economics and Finance at Wits University. He has also written various academic papers and popular articles on economic and development policy in South Africa.
- Prof Esther Duflo is the Abdul Latif Jameel Professor of Poverty Alleviation and Development Economics in the Department of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She has received numerous academic honors and prizes, including the 2019 Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences (with co-Laureates Abhijit Banerjee and Michael Kremer).
- Prof Vusi Gumede is the Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Development, and Business Sciences at the University of Mpumalanga. He held various senior government positions for 11 years before joining academia.
- Prof Alan Hirsch – The Emeritus Professor at The Nelson Mandela School of Public Governance at UCT and founding director of the School, 2011 – 2019.
- Mamokete Lijane is the Chair at Economic Research South Africa (ERSA) and a Strategist in Global Markets at Standard Bank CIB, with 22 years of experience as an analyst in financial markets.
- Trudi Makhaya is a Senior Advisor at the Boston Consulting Group. From 2018 to 2023, she served as President Cyril Ramaphosa’s economic advisor, during which time she also served as South Africa’s G20 Sherpa.
- Prof Mariana Mazzucato is a Professor in the Economics of Innovation and Public Value at University College London (UCL), where she is the Founding Director of the Institute for Innovation & Public Purpose (IIPP).
- Isaah Mhlanga is the Chief Economist and Head of Global Markets Research for Rand Merchant Bank (RMB).
- Kuben Naidoo was a Deputy Governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB) and a member of the Monetary Policy Committee until recently. He is now the Head of Corporate Payment Channels at Investec.
- Zeph Nhleko – The Chief Economist of the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) coordinates corporate strategy, knowledge management, research, and economics. He began his career as an economist at the South African Reserve Bank.
- Prof Dani Rodrik – The Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy at the Harvard Kennedy School has published widely in economic development, international economics, and political economy.
- Wandile Sihlobo is the Chief Economist of the Agricultural Business Chamber of South Africa and the author of Finding Common Ground: Land, Equity, and Agriculture. He is a member of the Council of Statistics of South Africa (Stats SA) and a Commissioner at the International Trade Commission of South Africa (ITAC).
DO YOU HAVE HOPE THAT THE MEMBERS OF ECONOMIC ADVISORY COUNCIL WILL HELP THE SEVENTH ADMINISTRATION TO ACHIEVE ITS PRIORITIES?
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