Hon Chairperson and hon members, we meet at a time when there is broad agreement across the political spectrum that the South African economy continues to improve its performance in many important areas. A cursory look at the facts also reveals that the past 11 years of democracy have indeed been very good to big business.
For the ANC the key challenge remains to ensure that the growing economy benefits all, with special reference to workers, the economically marginalised, the unemployed and the poor. It is in this context that the ANC sees Asgisa as an important stimulant to drive the economy to a higher rate of growth that will optimise broad-based impact.
The ANC further supports the Asgisa programme of targeted interventions, and its aim to halve unemployment and poverty by the year 2014. In order to meet the 2014 objectives, it will be important for the interdepartmental economic cluster programme to focus on the joint implementation of strategic high-impact Asgisa projects so that government firstly, moves faster to address the challenges of poverty, underdevelopment and marginalisation confronting those caught in the margins of the economy to ensure that the poor share in our country's growing prosperity. Secondly, we need to make the necessary interventions with regard to the economy to accelerate progress towards the achievement of higher levels of economic growth and development of at least 6% per year. Thirdly, we need to sustain and improve the effectiveness of social development programmes targeted at providing support to those most exposed to the threat of abject poverty.
It is, however, important to bear in mind that Asgisa is not intended to cover all elements of a comprehensive developmental plan. It rather consists of a limited set of interventions that are intended to serve as building blocks to accelerated and shared growth and development. It is in this context that the Asgisa objectives confirm the need to expand the small, medium and micro enterprise sector, and the need to pay particular attention to broad-based black economic empowerment, and the development of women and the youth.
It will thus be necessary to ensure the effectiveness of measures and programmes such as the Apex microcredit fund; the Micro-Agricultural Financial Institutions of South Africa for agricultural development; Seda, the Small Enterprise Development Agency; Khula; the Umsobomvu Youth Fund, the IDC Small Business Initiative; and others.
On the other hand, manufacturing remains the engine of our economy. As a major sector, it has substantial linkages to primary and tertiary sectors. Industrial policy must, however, be increasingly broader than manufacturing to include particular activities in services and agriculture.
It is appropriate that the DTI will be finalising the National Industrial Policy Framework that will include a regional development strategy and focus on strengthening competition regulation. The policy will focus on unlocking South African industrial development in a sustainable manner through identifying strategic industrial interventions.
In this context, it is also important that state-owned enterprises, such as Transnet, Eskom and Telkom, amongst others, also facilitate public expenditure-led growth.
Finally, it will be crucial that the economic cluster, in co-ordinating an effective implementation strategy, ensures that it mobilises all relevant social partners to contribute to the process of economic growth in a manner that all South Africans can take pride in. The ANC supports the Appropriation Bill. I thank you. [Applause.]