The director of MODERNA FoundationCernin Martínez, and Pedro Mendi, researcher of the Navarra Center for International Development (NCID) of the Institute for Culture and SocietyThe mission statement of work made a visit to the cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town (South Africa) from March 28 to April 1. There they met with representatives of the Economic Development Partnership, an institution similar to the MODERNA Foundation, as well as the Regional Government, two universities and the City of Cape Town. In Johannesburg, they held meetings with the Spanish Commercial Attaché in South Africa, Enrique Manzanares, as well as with representatives of the regional development agencies, such as KwaZulu-Natal, and representatives of the private sector. They also held meetings with the University of Cape Town and the Human Sciences Research Council.       

The purpose of the project is to advise the Cape Town and Johannesburg regions on the design and implementation of their economic development plan. MODERNA is considered an international reference letter in the implementation of a long-term development strategy deadline through the MODERNA Foundation. The University of Navarra, through the Navarra Center for International Development, provides the research and the work in the field to ensure the correct transfer of knowledge between Navarra and South Africa.

Opportunities for partnership

The strategic sectors for South Africa coincide in some cases with those of the MODERNA Plan and protocols have been established for partnership in these areas: tourism, renewable energies and agri-food.

South Africa's gross domestic product experienced a growth rate average of approximately 5 percent in real terms between 2004 and 2007. From 2008 to 2012, despite the crisis, growth was slightly above 2 percent.

South Africa's Economics grew by 1.5% in 2014, down from 2.2% in 2013 (according to preliminary estimates). The industry that grew the fastest in 2014 was agriculture (+5.6%), versus the mining sector which was affected by a series of widespread strikes and was the sector that recorded the largest decline (-1.6%).