South Africa has the potential to be one of the best places in the world to live. Our weather is (mostly) impeccable, our people are known to be some of the friendliest in the world, and our constitution is one of the most internationally acclaimed for being inclusive and progressive, as well as transformative.
That said, however, there are currently a number of obstacles to the South African project, such as our extremely high rate of unemployment, which was at 34.5% in the first quarter of 20221. Even more disconcerting is when you expand the definition of unemployment to include those discouraged from seeking work – the figure then climbs to 45.5%.
There are many reasons for our current exceptionally high levels of unemployment, but Lanham-Love Consulting believes that one of the leading causes is our population’s lack of access to equal opportunity – a hangover from our Apartheid days of job reservation. “In order to address this historic imbalance, the government of South Africa has implemented projects like Black Economic Empowerment, and later, Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment, since the beginning of our actually democratic country,” says Angie Lanham-Love, CEO of Lanham-Love Consulting.
So, what does Lanham-Love Consulting want the future of South Africa to actually look like?
“We are big believers in the South African project – to the extent that we’ve made our careers out of it,” says Lanham-Love. “And a big part of what we do is to increase previously disadvantaged South Africans access to opportunities for development, upliftment, and a chance to be the leaders of South Africa’s future.”
“We want our future leaders to be well educated, and highly skilled. They need to be the driving force behind the development of South Africa as an economic powerhouse that functions as an independent, productive economy, as well as a gateway to trading on the African continent as a whole. We want South Africa to be a flourishing economy, built on the basis of equal opportunity for all, made up of businesses that are financially sound and staffed by people who are fully engaged in the growth and development of those businesses.”
“Most of all, we want South Africa and its people to recognise that the South African project is a long-term project,” says Lanham-Love. “There’s an old saying: ‘The best time to plant a tree is 20 years ago. The second-best time is right now.’ The future of South Africa is entirely dependent on a populace that is educated and empowered, one that recognises that they are not just building a country for themselves, but for their children, and their children’s children.”
“If all South Africans are economically engaged and empowered to the extent that they can see the overall benefits of contributing to the South African project, Lanham-Love Consulting believes that there is the potential for South Africa to become a significant player on the global stage,” says Lanham-Love. “And what South African doesn’t want this country to be better for all?”
Want yourself and your business to be a part of the South African project? Lanham-Love Consulting is waiting to show you how. Get in touch with us today to begin your empowerment story.