RATIONALE OF THE CONFERENCE

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Many governments, particularly in developing countries face an enormous pressure of servicing their citizens who are trapped in high levels of poverty, unemployment, and inequality. South Africa is also trapped in the same vicious cycle exacerbated by an ailing economy and unequal distribution of vital government services amongst citizens.

Vision 2030 of the National Development Plan advocates for an urgent concerted effort to put the country on a rigorous growth and development trajectory with a promise of a better life for all.

A PARADIGM SHIFT TOWARDS MISSIONS: To steer clear from inadequate linear approaches developing singular solutions for singular problems, many countries are gradually embracing missions as a new way of approaching complex challenges. Popularised by Prof Mariana Mazzucato using NASA’s lunar programme as an example, missions are characterised by a conscious shift in the understanding of societal challenges as complex systemic challenges requiring ambitious goals or missions demanding a portfolio of solutions, collaboration and joint experimentation.

OECD-OPSI defines missions as measurable, ambitious, and time-bound objectives that have the potential to help enable transformative change. They are declarations of intent to tackle complex societal challenges.

The OECD further elaborates: With mission-oriented innovation, the public sector takes an active role in convening and co-ordinating actors around complex, cross- sectoral issues that cannot be solved with existing methods or by single departments or individual actors alone. Short-term, isolated single stakeholder approaches fall short in their ability to effectively deal with systemic social challenges. In their place, mission-oriented innovation policies, governance and practices can support directed action towards achieving ambitious goals.