The inaugural Innovation for Local Economic Development Community of Practice (ILED-COP) meeting took place at the HSRC’s Cape Town offices on 26 June 2025. The ILED-COP is proactively driving the infusion of innovation in how municipalities execute their local economic development mandate.
More than 20 stakeholders participated in lively conversations about how to embed the innovation principles of the National Framework for Local Economic Development 2018–2028 across pilot municipalities in Namakwa (Northern Cape), Vhembe (Limpopo), and OR Tambo (Eastern Cape). Participants included teams of university academics, officials from 3 district municipalities involved in the ILED pilot phase and representatives of two national government departments.
The Department of Science Technology and Innovation (DSTI) facilitated proceedings and acknowledged the inputs of the local economic development (LED) directorate of the Department of Cooperative Governance in advancing the ILED vision. Universities presented updates on how they are supporting municipalities in building vibrant local innovation systems, including setting up a COP in each district that includes local stakeholders. They also reported on the status of innovation champions appointed to carry out ILED activities in municipalities.
Municipal officials highlighted the potential of innovation champions to help rethink LED policy and practice in South Africa based on new learnings from working inside municipalities. However, without the right skills and capabilities, innovation champions will struggle to function effectively in their roles. To help close these innovation capability gaps, DSTI invested in a tailored ILED capacity-building programme. The forum received a brief update on developing materials for the planned training, including an online resource portal that the CSIR is developing.
For more information about the ILED-COP, click on the following link: https://hsrc.ac.za/news/equitable-education-and-economies/cooperation-among-municipalities-universities-and-local-industries-for-new-and-impactful-local-economic-development-solutions/
