SA News: Operation Phakisa, In Operation

Foreword The National Development Plan is the country’s socio-economic development blueprint which enjoins us to create a better life for all citizens in an inclusive society.  We use the NDP to guide every sector plans and policies, programmes, projects and operations – including how budget and skills investment and other resources are allocated to move South Africa forward.  It provides the framework in which Government, organised business, labour and citizens can work together to accelerate economic growth and resolve the triple challenge of unemployment, poverty and inequality. Operation Phakisa is one of the mechanisms we have put in place to implement the National Development Plan come alive. Operation Phakisa is a fast results delivery programme that we launched in July 2014 to help us implement the National Development Plan, with the ultimate goal of boosting economic growth and create jobs.Operation Phakisa is a cross-sector programme where various stakeholders engage to implement initiatives and concrete actions to address constraints to delivery in a prioritised focused area for public accountability and transparency. Government welcomes the partnership with business and labour to rally around the NDP in ensuring that there is a collective effort in workplace conflict reduction and improved cooperation between government, organised business and organised labour.    Introduction Operation Phakisa is an initiative of the South African government.  This initiative was designed to fast track the implementation of solutions on critical development issues.  This is a unique initiative to address issues highlighted in the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030 such as poverty, unemployment and inequality.  Operation Phakisa is an innovative and pioneering approach to translate detailed plans into concrete results through dedicated delivery and collaboration. “Phakisa” means “hurry up” in Sesotho and the application of this methodology highlights government’s urgency to deliver.  It plays a crucial role in accelerating the delivery of some of the development priorities. Through Operation Phakisa, Government aims to implement priority programmes better, faster and more effectively.   Methodology Operation Phakisa is a results-driven approach, involving setting clear plans and targets, on-going monitoring of progress and making these results public. The methodology consists of eight sequential steps. It focusses on bringing key stakeholders from the public and private sectors, academia as well as civil society organisations together to collaborate in: detailed problem analysis; priority setting; intervention planning; and delivery These collaboration sessions are called laboratories (labs). The results of the labs are detailed (3 foot) plans with ambitious targets as well as public commitment on the implementation of the plans by all stakeholders. The implementation of the plans are rigorously monitored and reported on. Implementation challenges are actively managed for effective and efficient resolution.