/ 2 December 2016

Putting the GGDA onto the map

Naledi Ndlovu
Naledi Ndlovu

The first 100 days have yet to lapse since Naledi Ndlovu took up her position as marketing and communications director at the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA).

It may well be early days to evaluate her performance (she only started her job in September), but judging from her boundless energy and infectious enthusiasm, one may surmise that she has literally hit the road running. “She’s kicking ass,” a colleague said when asked about her new boss.

Armed with a vast background in the financial services and IT industry, Ndlovu says her new job makes her feel like a “fish in the water”. “It is such an exciting space to be in,” she says.

Ndlovu has a Wits Business School MBA and appears to enjoy challenges. In moving to the GGDA, Ndlovu chose to stay in the public service over joining the more prestigious private sector. This despite perceptions that things generally move slowly in the public sector, and the bureaucracy can be stifling to the point of choking service delivery. 

Ndlovu is the first to admit the choice confounded both her family and friends. “But I had come to the realisation that it was not all about me. Much as the job I was doing had good perks, I still felt something was missing.”

It is passion about people and a desire to make a difference in her community that drives Ndlovu. In her new role she has her job cut out. She has to ensure the GGDA is top of mind when the people of Gauteng speak about an agency tasked with spearheading and co-ordinating economic development efforts for the province.

A major challenge for Ndlovu is that the GGDA is relatively unknown. It was established in 2012 following merger between Gauteng Economic Development Agency and Blue IQ Holdings (Pty) Ltd. The move to merge the two entities formed part of a broader restructuring operation aimed at enhancing the role of the Gauteng provincial government in driving investment, growth and innovation in the provincial economy.

For all its array of services it is a bit discomforting for Ndlovu that a significant section of the population is not aware of the GGDA and its role. “People need to understand what we do. We need to start changing our discourse,” she says.

To this end Ndlovu says she has started with above-the-line advertising of the GGDA, distributing posters, flyers, and brochures to build the brand. Social media is another platform she is engaged with as a way of targeting the younger generation. She thinks going digital is the best approach for the GGDA: “We need a presence in the digital space and [need to] do engaging stuff,” she says.

Of significance, she says, is for the GGDA to leverage on opportunities like trade and business conferences being hosted in the province. She has also started reviving and establishing contact with various consulates and embassies as part of her public relations drive. And since advertising Gauteng as a “gateway to Africa” is everybody’s business, she firmly believes there is a need for an education drive to arm people with information about the province so they can become ambassadors and create a positive perception of Gauteng both here and abroad.

“We need to start sharing our good news stories and this will certainly have a ripple effect. As we say, expand your vision of the Gauteng economy. Be a visionary.”

Fortunately Ndlovu is promoting a province that is a globally competitive city region and also South Africa’s financial capital. She is obviously under no illusion as to the task ahead and what she would like to see sooner rather than later is for the GGDA to start communicating its messages in simple English to maximise the understanding of its messages.

Her formula is straightforward: bring in simplicity, professionalism and the “I Can Do” attitude.

With the GGDA’s mission to be a thought leader in matters of foreign and domestic investments, Ndlovu is a bit concerned that they have not formulated a strategy to deal with what is likely to happen to South Africa’s eligibility for the African Growth and Opportunity Act (Agoa) when US president-elect Donald Trump steps into office next year. Trump has called for protectionism of US industry, while many countries rely on trade agreements for access to US markets.

One thing for certain is that Ndlovu is determined to ensure the GGDA becomes the number one agency in South Africa.