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Department: Office of the Premier 1.7 Budget decisions The department acknowledges the slow economic growth and continues to implement austerity measures to optimize resource allocation. Budget reprioritization has been necessary to ensure the continuity of critical projects while aligning expenditures with fiscal constraints and strategic objectives. The department remains committed to supporting the province's priority growth sectors, as outlined by the Premier, which include Agriculture, the Ocean Economy, Manufacturing, Tourism, and the Digital Economy. As such, as an aim to drive digitalisation an additional funding has been received to address cost pressures in ICT projects such as Broadband and Microsoft services, which are spearheaded by the department. In addition, the department received additional funding to address the Compensation of Employees (CoE) shortfall resulting from the new wage agreement. Furthermore, the department received once-off allocation in 2025/26 under Eastern Cape Socio Economic Consultative Council (ECSECC) for provincial regional observatory to strengthen the state's capacity for evidence-based integrated strategic planning and policy formulation, long term strategic and integrated planning towards a shared development agenda for the province, as well as Eastern Cape Seaboard. 1.8 Aligning departmental budgets to achieve government%u2019s prescribed outcomes The department plays a crucial and strategic role in advancing the government%u2019s development agenda. Office of the Premier%u2019s role is directly aligned with Strategic Priority 3 of the Provincial Medium-Term Development Plan, which focuses on building a capable, ethical, and developmental state. However, as the leader of government, the department also plays a crucial role in ensuring that a whole-of-government approach is adopted to advance the other two strategic priorities: Strategic Priority 1, which promotes inclusive economic growth, and Strategic Priority 2, which aims to reduce poverty and address the high cost of living. Over the 2025 MTEF period, the department will focus its resources on assisting the provincial government in achieving these broader government objectives, ensuring that all initiatives are integrated and aligned to drive meaningful progress across the province. 2 REVIEW OF THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (2024/25) 2.1 Key Achievements The Office of the Premier, in collaboration with provincial departments and clusters, has made significant progress in identifying priorities and interventions under the 9 Integration Programmes. These have been consolidated into a blueprint that will guide the development of the Provincial Medium Term Development Plan (P-MTDP). To institutionalize the 9 Integration Programmes, an initial Change Management programme was conducted to orientate provincial departments, with ongoing sessions planned. Continuous monitoring reports are produced to assess the implementation progress of these programmes. Additionally, the department, in partnership with coordinating departments, reviewed Draft Strategic Plans and Annual Performance Plans for alignment with the Draft P-MTDP. The assessment report was submitted to the Department of Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (DPME) for consideration. The department has been actively working on mobilizing investments and advancing international cooperation through several key activities: %uf0b7 Cooperation with Zhejiang Province: Discussions continued to take forward the resolutions of the meeting between the Premier and the Vice-Governor of Zhejiang Province %uf0b7 Eastern Cape Disaster relief appeal to International Partners of the Province: Appeals were made to international partners for donations to assist flood victims. 108