Southern African Development Community (SADC): Towards Economic Integration

摘要

Southern Africa is a region richly endowed with human, natural, agricultural and mineral resources but the majority of people live in extreme poverty, and declining life expectancy and limited access to basic services and infrastructure. The problem is compounded by civil strife and wars, high crime rate, corruption, trade in illicit drugs and the spread of HIV/AlDS. The challenge is to accelerate economic growth in order to improve the living conditions of the peoples of Southern Africa and reduce dependence on South Africa. To achieve this, the Declaration and Treaty establishing the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which has replaced the Coordination Conference, was signed at the Summit of Heads of State or Government on 17 August 1992, in Windhoek, Namibia. The central objective was to intensify cooperation among the countries and economic integration. SADC identified the development of transport and communication as the key strategy towards economic integration. The purpose of this paper is to systematically examine this strategy. Specifically the paper assesses the relevance, achievements and challenges facing the member states.