KPMG firstly wants to recognise the National Planning Commission (NPC) has put in a tremendous effort in driving forward what may easily be argued as South Africa’s most strategic initiative since our first democratic elections. This is all about Nation Building, in a world of continuous change, massive inequalities and economic uncertainty â€" yet also one of high hopes, trust and expectation.
KPMG recognises that the objectives and objectives set out in the NDP, are ambitious and that in a resource constrained world where competing priorities are the norm, it will be essential to prioritise what needs doing. Some of the planned initiatives will be easier to achieve and may be viewed as quick wins. Some will be more costly, some may be seen as more important than others and indeed others may quite simply be ‘non-negotiable’. Some of the details around the quick wins and the non-negotiables have already been provided in the final NDP document.
The implementation of the NDP cannot be the task of Government or business or South African citizens alone. It needs to be an integrated approach, with each of us taking up our specific roles, based on our strengths and getting involved in the areas where we can make the most significant difference.
All South Africa’s business leaders, have the opportunity to engage with Government in a structured way to identify areas where we can assist and get involved with the implementation of the plan.  KPMG recognises this and specifically committed to being involved with taking the NDP from words to actions.
Following the approval of the NDP by the Parliament and the ANC in September and December 2012, KPMG is honoured to renew its commitment to be a key contributor to the successful implementation and roll-out of the NDP.  KPMG believes that the following key success factors will go a long way to ensure successful implementation:
•           Development and prioritisation of realistic and manageable actions
•           Identification of what actions can be implemented immediately
•           Identification of what actions can be implemented in the short medium and long term
•           Utilising lessons learned from similar implementations elsewhere in the world and adapt them for the uniquely South African challenges and circumstances. This will also assist to identify risks areas, as well as pitfalls that need to be managed.
KPMG has agreed to focus on three priority areas in terms of its support to the NDP, namely:
•           The economy and infrastructure
•           Public sector reform, and
•           Health.
The first two of these three priority areas for KPMG align with the key priority areas that the NPC also identified in the NDP as areas that require immediate attention. This might initially seem contradictory that two out of the three are chosen, but as a firm, KPMG has made the decision to focus on the areas where the company  feels that it could make the most significant contribution.
However, it does not mean that KPMG will not be involved in the other areas. KPMG’s go-to-market strategy is aligned with the rest of the NDP, not only due to the fact that these areas are the core areas identified as areas of significant importance to the country, but also because KPMG as a firm has recognised nationally and internationally that these will be the future challenges for South Africa and in many instances, the rest of the world.
Support will take on the form of the following key activities, over and above embodying the objectives of the NDP as a core part of KPMG business strategy:
•           Strategic support to the NPC and government departments involved in the roll-out of the NDP, through training initiatives and skills development support. The form that this will take will be dependent on the type of initiative, but the intent is to provide capacity at the coal face within the specific government department or agencies where the roll-out of the NDP takes place.
•           Development of thought-leadership around the three KPMG focus areas. The purpose of this thought leadership would be to address questions and provide insight into areas where additional analysis is required for the successful roll-out of the NDP. This could include costing and funding calculations, prioritisation and intervention impact assessments in order to support the NDP roll-out.
•           The provision of focused solutions and strategic advice, for example Socio-Economic Development monitoring and evaluation, in order to determine the impact of big infrastructure and other projects on areas such as GDP growth, job creation, tax revenue and the community and to track the contribution of these initiatives against NDP targets such as job creation and economic growth.
•           To keep the NDP conversation going, through an annual NDP business survey and through hosting think tanks and working sessions. One of the most important parts of the success of the NDP, is the institutionalisation of the document, making it part of the identity of South African businesses and South African citizens. Furthermore, it is necessary to track progress against the objectives and the targets set out in the NDP.
All of us need to actively engage with Government with a mindset of how, together, we’re going to make this happen. If there are areas of disagreement, that’s fine too â€" but let’s articulate these constructively and purposefully, allowing the desired end outcomes to remain top-of-mind.