IHS: Refresher Course on the Competitiveness and Resilience of African Cities
Abstract
The overall project purpose is to present a refresher course at the University of Cape Town on behalf of the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS) at the Erasmus University of Rotterdam (EUR) in the Netherlands. The course has been funded via IHS with funding received from NUFFIC. The course is to be held from the 23 June 2014 to the 4 July 2014 and is entitled ???The competitiveness and Resilience of African Cities ??? Strategies for enhancing urban competitiveness through Foreign direct investment (FDI) and improving the economic growth of Cape Town???.
By following a unique approach, developed by HIS/EUR, HSRC, and ACC/UCT, participants will gain an understanding of the competitive position ??? in terms of investment ??? of African countries and cities, and of South Africa within this system. Based on this information, participant will be able to assess the relevance and effectiveness of current policies attracting foreign direct investment. Finally, the results of the course will deliver ideas on how to improve the economic growth of African cities and thereby tackle issues of unemployment and poverty.
Generally the course aims at enabling participants to:
??? Refresh theoretical knowledge on globalization, urban networks, competitiveness, investment flows, local economic development and urban sustainability and resilience;
??? Analyse the current state of South African cities in the global economy, based on academic research conducted by HIS/EUR staff, the HSRC and ACC/UCT;
??? Evaluate current regional and local economic policies of South Africa and match them to global trends, identifying structural barriers and binding constraints;
??? Refresh analytical skills that will enable participants to assess and present capabilities of Cape Town and identify opportunities for development;
??? Develop strategic plans for regional development to tackle unemployment, Inequality and poverty.
The HSRC objectives are three-fold:
1. Assist with the compilation of the course material based on own research.
2. Present this component of the course and facilitate discussion.
3. Contribute to the final report on the training session developed by HIS/EUR for Nuffic.
