Document: Implementation of the Amathole Regional Economic Development Strategy (AREDS)

Local Economic Development (LED) has become a critical issue in South Africa in the effort to fight poverty and unemployment. Many institutions, both public and private, at national, provincial, district and local level, are involved in different aspects of LED. Over the last years, Economic Development Agencies (EDAs) have emerged as new players in LED that aim at driving economic growth initiatives in a locality. In the Amathole district, a multistakeholder process led to the formulation of the Amathole Regional Economic Development Strategy (AREDS) that is now being implemented. The different role players at local, district and provincial level contribute to the implementation of the strategy by committing to specific projects. The coordinating role is performed by Aspire, the Amathole Economic Development Agency. One year into implementation of the strategy, this case study looks at the ongoing activities that contribute to strategy implementation. The findings allow for insights of alignment processes, coordination in project implementation and the roles of stakeholders in the district. Special emphasis is given to the role of Aspire as a regional economic development agency.