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Livestream

On Wednesday 4 March 2020, the University of the Free State’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences (EMS) will be hosting the Governor of the South African Reserve Bank (SARB), Lesetja Kganyago. The Governor will present a public lecture titled: Sound policy for better growth: South Africa 2020.

The power of public policy

The Governor’s lecture will draw on his more than 20 years’ experience in formulating and implementing public policy, having spent this time at the central bank and at National Treasury. During the Governor’s time at National Treasury, a fundamental reform in the management of the national debt portfolio was completed and several public finance and financial market reforms were achieved.

According to Prof Philippe Burger, the Governor’s lecture is of paramount importance to students given his internationally known pursuit of sound monetary policy. “To have the Governor at the UFS to share with students his perspective on the South African economy, will allow students to hear what good monetary and economic policy entails, and to hear it from one of the key decisionmakers in the economy,” he said. Prof Burger is the UFS Pro Vice-Chancellor: Poverty, Inequality and Economic Development as well as Vice-Dean (Strategic Projects) in the Faculty of EMS.

Given the current state of the economy, it is significant to discuss sound policies for better growth in the year 2020. “Economic growth is below 1% and unemployment close to 30%. Sound monetary policy will serve as a foundation on which to restore economic growth in future,” added Prof Burger.

A Governor with a global footprint

Governor Kganyago led South Africa’s technical team in various G20 Ministers of Finance and Central Bank Governors meetings and summits, including the Inaugural Summit in 2008. He chaired the International Monetary Fund (IMF)–World Bank Development Committee Deputies and the G20 Working Group on IMF Governance Reform. The Governor also made his mark as the Vice-Chair of the Financial Stability Board’s Standing Committee on Standards Implementation for four years.

Currently, Governor Kganyago chairs the Committee of Central Bank Governors of the Southern African Development Community and co-chairs the Financial Stability Board’s Regional Consultative Group for sub-Saharan Africa. He also chairs the Financial Stability Board’s Standing Committee on Standards Implementation.

Furthermore, he was appointed as the International Monetary and Financial Committee (IMFC) Chairman, effective from 18 January 2018, for a period of three years. The IMFC is the primary advisory body of the IMF Board of Governors and deliberates on the principal policy issues facing the IMF.

Governor Kganyago holds a Master of Science degree in Development Economics from the University of London (School of Oriental and African Studies) and a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Accounting and Economics from the University of South Africa.

Livestream of the public lecture

Due to high demand, the public lecture will be livestreamed at the Mabaleng Auditorium on the Bloemfontein Campus on 4 March 2020.The link will go live at 18:45 for all staff, students, and the public who are unable to attend. You can livestream the public lecture from any device. 

Please diarise accordingly and be sure to tune in. For those who did RSVP, the lecture will still take place as follows:

You are invited to attend the lecture which takes place as follows:

Date: Wednesday 4 March 2020 
Time:19:00
Venue: Education Auditorium, Bloemfontein Campus

More information: MlotyaS@ufs.ac.za