The Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) will host an Economic Policy Dialogue on South Africa’s sovereign credit downgrade to sub-investment grade status. The dialogue will take place at the DBSA Conference Centre in Midrand, Gauteng on Friday, 4 August 2017 from 09:30.

According to the Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Rob Davies, the Economic Policy Dialogue platform was established to advance the economic and public policy view of the dti on current economic affairs and matters.

“The dialogue is also a stakeholder engagement platform whereby the dti reaches out to its stakeholders and communicates its programmes. It also enables us, as the department to be proactive in terms of challenging the narrative about SA’s economy from the angle of heterodox economic school of thought,” says Davies.

Davies adds that it is essential to have an informed discourse on the implications of the credit rating downgrade for South Africa, and together formulate ideas on how to respond effectively. This will enable us to collectively create an interventionist path that will potentially restore South Africa’s rating to above investment grade status.

Representatives from business, academia and government are expected to attend the dialogue where they will be addressed by a panel of highly renowned economists.  The Speakers at the session will be the Head of Credit Rating Services at the Financial Services Board, Mr Roland Cooper, Sovereign Analyst in the S&P emerging markets sovereign ratings team, Mr Gardner Rusike and the Director of Strategy and Risk Management in the Asset and Liability Division at the National Treasury, Ms Lebogang Madiba.