NEW GROWTH PATH (NGP. The new growth path is a broad framework that sets out a vision and identifies key areas where jobs can be created within the South African National Economy. The new growth path is intended to address unemployment, inequality and poverty in a strategy that is principally reliant on creating a significant increase in the number of new jobs in the economy, mainly in the private sector. The new growth path sets a target of creating five million jobs by 2020. This target is projected to reduce unemployment from 25% to 15%. Critically, this employment target can only be achieved if the social partners and government work together to address key structural challenges in the economy. The new growth path seeks to place the economy on a production‐led trajectory with growth targeted in ten ‘jobs drivers’. As a first step, government will focus on unlocking the employment potential in six key sectors and activities. These are: Infrastructure, through the massive expansion of transport, energy, water, communications capacity and housing, underpinned by a strong focus on domestic industry to supply the components for the build‐programmes; The agricultural value chain, with a focus on expanding farm‐output and employment and increasing the agri‐processing sector; The mining value chain, with a particular emphasis on mineral beneficiation as well as on increasing the rate of minerals extraction; The green economy, with programmes in green energy, component manufacture and services; Manufacturing sectors and; Tourism and certain high‐level services.
