Aquaculture is the fastest growing food producing sector in the world, and although abalone contributes a relatively small proportion to aquaculture, it is one of the most highly prized seafood delicacies and most sought-after invertebrate. With high returns, farmed, fished or ranched abalone is able to generate foreign currency earnings for the aquaculture industry. In addition, farming uplifts communities along the coastal lines through generating higher levels of employment relative to other aquaculture activities. This is particularly so, in areas where fishing has diminished or has been totally discontinued. This policy brief looks at some of the factors for the industry to remain sustainable and economically viable. 

In its latest World Economic Outlook, the IMF revised downward its growth forecast for most countries and for the world as a whole. This note briefly reviews some of the key revisions. 

Faizel Ismail has a PhD (Manchester, UK), MPhil (IDS, Sussex, UK), LLB (UKZN-Pietermaritzburg) and a BA (UKZN-Pietermaritzburg). His PhD for which he obtained an A grade pass is titled: An Empirical Analysis of Apartheid South Africa in the GATT: 1947 to 1994.

Faizel is currently an Adjunct Professor at the UCT School of Economics. He is also an advisor/consultant (part-time) to the Department of Trade and Industry on International Trade and a Special Envoy on the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). He was appointed as the Chairperson of the International Trade and Administration Commission (ITAC) for a three-year term (2015-2018).

He has served as the Ambassador Permanent Representative of South Africa to the WTO (2010-2014). Prior to this he was the Deputy Director General for International Trade and Economic Development (ITED) in the Department of Trade and Industry. As South Africa’s Chief Trade Negotiator, since 1994, he led the new democratic South Africa’s trade negotiations with the European Union (EU), Southern African Development Community (SADC), Southern African Customs Union (SACU) and several other bilateral trading partners including the US, India, and Brazil. He has led South Africa’s negotiations in the WTO from 2002 to 2014.

He has served as the Chair of the WTO Committee on Trade and Development negotiating group (CTDSS) for two years (2004-2006), the Chair of the WTO Committee on Trade and Development (CTD) for one year (2006/7) and the Chair of the WTO Committee on Trade, Debt and Finance (WGTDF) for two years (2012-2014). He has also served as Chair of the Annual Meeting of the International Trade Centre (ITC), Geneva.

He is the author of two books on the WTO: Mainstreaming Development in the WTO. Developing Countries in the Doha Round (2007) and Reforming the World Trade Organization. Developing Countries in the Doha Round (2009). The latter book has been translated into Chinese (2011). He has published over 50 articles, chapters and working papers in international journals and books on economic development and trade and development issues.

Saul Levin is the Executive Director of TIPS, a not-for-profit economic research institute. Saul has previously worked as a Chief Director in the Economic Development Department (EDD) with oversight over Development Finance Institutions. Prior to that Saul spent two years as a Business Operations Manager at Standard Bank. Previously he worked as the Chief of Staff for the Minister of Water Affairs and Forestry and for the Minister of Minerals and Energy. He has also worked as an economist at the Department of Trade and Industry, and spent several years working in small business development. Saul has a Master’s degree in Sociology from Wits University, and a PhD in Development Studies from the University of Johannesburg.

Public seminars held during APORDE 2015 

1. AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT AND THE POLITICAL ECONOMY CHALLENGES OF INDUSTRIAL POLICY

Speakers: Christopher Cramer and Mushtaq Khan

Date:     Wednesday 2 September 2015                 

Time:    From 18:30

Venue:  CCRED Seminar Room, 2nd Floor, 5 Sturdee Avenue, Rosebank

Organised by the Centre for Competition, Regulation and Economic Development (CCRED)

For more information download African development and the political economy challenges of industrial policy

2. INNOVATION AND INDUSTRIAL POLICY

Speakers: Ha-Joon Chang; Neva Makgetla; Imraan Patel

Date: Thursday 3 September 2015

Time: 09:30 – 13:00 (followed by lunch)

Venue:  Kingdom Caterers, 317 Tram Street, Brooklyn, Pretoria

Organised by the Department of Trade and Industry

For more information download Innovation and industrial policy

3.  MINERAL RESOURCES AND INDUSTRIAL POLICY

Speaker:  Paul Jourdan

Date:     Thursday 3 September 2014                                                                       

Time:    From 18h30

Venue:  IDC Conference Centre; 19 Fredman Drive, Sandton

Co-host:  Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)

For more information download Mineral resources and industrial policy

4. LABOUR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Speakers:  Ben Fine and Nicolas Pons-Vignon

Date:     Monday 7 September 2015                                                                        

Time:    From 18h30

Venue: SEBS seminar suite, 1st Floor – New Commerce Building, West Campus, Wits University

Co-host: Independent World of Work

For more information download Labour and economic development

5.  CHINA, INDIA AND THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AFTER THE CRISIS

Speaker:   Jayati Ghosh

Date:  Tuesday 8 September 2015                                                                           

Time:  From 18h00 (refreshments from 17:30)

Venue: C-Ring 315, Auckland Park Kingsway Campus, University of Johannesburg

Co-host: University of Johannesburg, Department of Economics

For more information download China, India and the global economy after the crisis

6. TRANSFER PRICING AND TRADE MISPRICING

Speakers: Jonathan di John, Paul Jourdan and Kathy Nicolaou-Manias

Date: Wednesday 9 September 2015

Time: 09:00 – 12:00 (followed by lunch)

Venue:  Southern Sun Pretoria, corner Steve Biko and Pretorius Street, Arcadia

Co-host: TIPS

For more information download Transfer pricing and trade mispricing

Presentations:

Jonathan Di John: Transfer Pricing in Export Processing Zones

Paul Jourdan: Transfer Pricing in Extractive Industries

Kathy Nicolaou-Manias: Understanding Trade Mispricing in South Africa

Insights into the manufacturing sector: Outcomes of the latest quarterly Manufacturing Bulletin

Estimating disaggregated sector employment multipliers for the City of Johannesburg

Repositioning electricity planning at the core: An evaluation of South Africa's Integrated Resource Plan

Gaylor Montmasson-Clair

Background: Energy and electricity issues in particular have recently been high on the South African agenda. Beyond immediate near-term considerations, reviewing the current electricity planning process is both a timely and necessary exercise. This review, based on an internationally-recognised framework developed by the World Resources Institute and Prayas Energy Group, unpacks the key pillars of an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) and reviews South Africa's performance. The objective is to provide a comprehensive overview of the key elements of successful electricity planning and to use this framework to reflect on the country's opportunities and challenges for optimal planning and implementation.

TOPIC: Electricity pricing and economic development in South Africa: The real tough choices

Dr Neva Makgetla

Background:  From the 1980s, growth in South Africa has depended in large part on low-cost, coal-fuelled electricity. This trajectory is no longer viable due to the rising costs of both new investment and climate change. TIPS undertook a systematic assessment of options for managing the cost and economic impact of various options for adapting to the new realities of electricity in both the short and long term.