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Department: Economic Development, Environmental Affairs and Tourism economic growth forecast presents further challenges government%u2019s ability to generate revenue to meet the ever-increasing service delivery targets. Reprioritisation within programmes and subprogrammes to accommodate fiscal consolidation was undertaken without severely affecting the service delivery for the 2025 MTEF. The baseline reprioritisation exercise was necessary to re-direct funds to enhance the assistance to MSME, Auto Sector Manufacturing, and provision for Special Economic Zone (SEZ) operational cost and Wild Coast SEZ operational costs. The departmental service delivery model has largely been impacted by the geopolitical factors across the world as well as the increasing demand for support to MSME. To this end, the continuation with the Economic Development Fund to be implemented by ECDC, will assist in addressing these demands and garner support from the private sector to augment this fund. Budget decisions in the department are largely influenced by various factors that are prioritised to promote economic development, tourism and taking into consideration the environmental affairs. The department will continue with its untiring efforts of donor mobilisation and work with the private sector to leverage on their resources in projects where there are common goals. Cost containment measures and value for money spending will continue to be applied by the department over the 2025 MTEF period. 1.8 Budget decisions The departmental budget is supported by a Strategic Plan (SP), Annual Performance Plan (APP) that have been aligned to the Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MSTF), Provincial Development Plan (PDP) Goals and Vision 2030. The department%u2019s work is influenced by a combination of economic and environmental imperatives in the Eastern Cape; key alignment instruments of the international, national, provincial, and local levels; and the structural organisation of the DEDEAT Group as well as the available human and financial resource envelope. The department will continue to make use of policies and strategies that enhance economic, environmental management and tourism development. These include the Eastern Cape Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (ECBSAP), Climate Change Response Strategy, Provincial Sustainable Energy Strategy, National Biodiversity Economy Strategy, Integrated Waste Management Plans, Eastern Cape Youth Development Strategy, Provincial National Protected Area Expansion Strategy, Industry Action Plan, Agricultural Policy Action Plan, Tourism Master Implementation Plan, BBBEE policy, East Cape Automotive Industry Forum (ECAIF) Automotive Strategy 2024, AIDC Automotive Strategy 2024, EC Tooling sector strategy 2024, Provincial EC Integrated SMME Strategy 2015-2020 (being reviewed), Co-operative development strategy 2019-2024, Business Incubation Strategy as well as the EC Policy Speeches. 2 REVIEW OF THE CURRENT FINANCIAL YEAR (2024/25) 2.1 Key achievements The department attracted the investments through its public entities as follows: %uf0b7 4 investments with a value of R4.3 billion against the annual target of 5 investors worth R500 million and contributed 4 906 jobs on manufacturing and services as well as construction out of revised annual target of 6 600 jobs through the East London Special Economic Zone (ELSEZ). While several factors contributed to the underperformance, the most significant is the slow growth of the investment pipeline; %uf0b7 31 investments with a value of R2.7 billion and contributed 2 757 job opportunities against the revised annual target of 100 investors worth R350 million and 640 job opportunities on renewable energy through ECDC; and 616