Updated: Attachment modified
The purpose of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Prosperity Fund is to help to create the conditions for global growth. In South Africa we aim to achieve this by supporting South Africa’s transition to a sustainable, rules-based developed economy, through targeted, high impact projects; and increased commercial collaboration. These activities are an important element of the UK-South Africa bilateral relationship.
Overall, the focus of the Prosperity Fund is on the following ‘Conditions for Growth’:
Openness: work that helps to consolidate an open, fair and competitive South African economic, financial and business environment which is attractive to UK companies – including through appropriate support for South Africa’s reform and modernisation agenda. And by ensuring a strong partnership between South Africa and the UK in support of a rules-based, free-trading international economic system which drives global prosperity.
Sustainability: Work that supports the transition to a low carbon economy and resilient energy markets enhances energy and resource security and which promotes science and innovation as solutions to global challenges.
Opportunity: work that helps UK companies win new business, and promotes education and innovation as drivers of growth. By promoting an education partnership that brings prosperity benefits to the UK and South Africa, and strengthens our long-term engagement. By developing a stronger UK-South Africa innovation, research and evidence partnership that has commercial, academic and societal impact.
Reputation: work that promotes the UK as a creative and trustworthy partner; a world class destination for business, tourism and study.
Within this context, the Prosperity Fund in South Africa has six policy priorities:
* Business environment: improving the business environment for domestic and foreign businesses, and breaking down barriers to trade and investment. We welcome a focus on structural reform aimed at opening new markets; reducing regulation and cutting red tape to increase competitiveness; capacity building in the public sector; and increasing dialogue between government, business and labour.
Open economy: promoting greater transparency and accountability, tackling tax evasion and encouraging trade liberalisation. Projects should focus on South Africa’s domestic environment, or regional or global role. Initiatives on securing regulatory reform, increasing transparency and tackling corruption (e.g. anti-bribery) would be particularly welcome.
Energy security: building transparent and sustainable energy use. We encourage initiatives aimed at helping to up-scale renewable energy and diversify the energy mix; strengthening technical skills and capacity building in the energy sector; and advancing a bilateral dialogue on energy issues. We also encourage a focus on opportunities for the development of shale gas, nuclear and Carbon Capture and Storage in South Africa and promoting UK commercial and policy interests on energy.
Low carbon economy/climate change: driving a clean and low carbon transition, boosting green growth, and helping to prevent dangerous climate change. We welcome a focus on smart/sustainable cities through innovation and public-private partnerships; supporting policy on green jobs and green entrepreneurs; developing models for enhanced green investment in the South African economy; and how to tackle resource stresses, including the food-water-energy nexus.
Education: contribute to South Africa’s economic growth and competitiveness through the development of human capital in alignment with private and public sector needs. Enhance the potential of South Africa’s education reform agenda by creating stronger frameworks that foster quality in education, evaluation and planning.
Science and innovation: stimulating strategic research collaborations, innovation and technology partnerships and investment into UK hi-tech industry. Improving UK and South African S&I policies with t strong links to industry and academia through R&D. We also encourage proposals on cyber security, particularly aimed at equipping the South African public and private sectors to tackle the economic security threats from cyber.
Projects funded through the South Africa Prosperity Fund must:
Deliver real, measurable policy outcomes.
Demonstrate opportunities for UK-South Africa policy and/or commercial collaboration.
Provide evidence of South African Government support.
Funded projects will need to contribute to one or more of the aforementioned policy priorities, be compatible with the ‘Conditions for Growth’ and have a clear and measurable UK benefit.
Projects which showcase the UK as an international partner of choice and world class destination for business, tourism and study, helping to strengthen UK-South Africa bilateral ties, are particularly encouraged.
This year, we are also particularly interested in project proposals which are large scale and high impact.
The bidding round is now open. The deadline to submit project proposals is 1 April. The Projects Team and Policy Officers, at BHC are available to discuss and view project concepts in advance of this deadline.
Successful projects will begin on 1 May 2014. Projects must be completed by 31 March 2015.
Submission requirements:
For proposals to be considered the bid documents must be accompanied by the following documents:
Copy of current Tax clearance certificate – for both private companies and Section 18A companies.
Company registration certificate.
Copy of Articles of Association and/or Constitution.
Copy of latest financial statements.
List of 3 contactable donor references.
Prosperity SPF Contacts
If you have any questions regarding the bidding round or want to know more about the South Africa Prosperity SPF programme, please contact the programme team through email to the relevant manager.
Economic and Trade Policy – Sharon Chingwena
Climate Change and Energy –Vannessa Westcott
See Documents for the required proposal template to be completed and submitted with all documents listed under Submission Requirements.