Session 10 | Closing Panel Discussion

What is really holding South Africa back from growth, and are the solutions simpler than we think? In this closing session, leading economists and policymakers cut through the noise to diagnose the real constraints, and where the biggest opportunities lie. In this session, Christopher Loewald (ERSA), Khulekani Mathe (Business Unity South Africa), Dan Andrews (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) and Lisette IJssel de Schepper (Bureau for Economic Research) explain why South Africa’s growth challenge is rooted in weak competition, constrained investment, and barriers to firm entry and expansion. 00:00 Opening and speaker introductions 01:00 Framing the final session: synthesising key insights 02:30 South Africa’s growth challenges across sectors 04:00 Investment decline, productivity slowdown and confidence 05:30 Public-private dynamics: regulation, trust and coordination 07:00 Diagnosing the problem: firm-level productivity and competition 10:30 Why high-productivity firms aren’t scaling 12:00 Investment, network industries and binding constraints 14:30 Regulation and compliance: costs, barriers and business impact 18:00 Skills, institutions and breakdown in collaboration 20:00 Entrepreneurship, entry barriers and firm dynamics 24:00 Housing, spatial inequality and urban growth opportunities 28:00 Sector debates: agriculture, mining and fundamentals 32:00 Trade policy, competitiveness and export constraints 40:00 Low-hanging reforms: licensing, entry and network sectors 48:00 Audience Q&A: growth vs employment, institutions and implementation 59:30 Closing reflections and end of session This session was recorded at the ERSA Conference: Finding a Path to Growth and Employment in South Africa, hosted by Economic Research Southern Africa (ERSA) and the South African Reserve Bank in Stellenbosch in March 2026. 🔗 ERSA Website: https://econrsa.org