Apr 06, 2016 the joint research also examined integration in two wider regional blocs. Regional integration in western africa report prepared for and financed by the ministry of foreign affairs, the netherlands by sheila page and sanoussi bilal. Isbn 9171064842, sek 100,indexing terms regionalization regional integration regional cooperation regional organizations globalization crossborder trade africa southern africa west africa the opinions expressed in this volume are those of the authors. The private sector and regional integration in southern africa. A further distinctive feature of sadc trade is that the product composition of exports is oriented more towards manufactured goods compared to the regions exports to the rest of the world. Yet, while dozens of regional institutions have been established, we lack facts to assess whether integration is actually taking place, and if further integration has any political and economic effects.
In the summer of 1963, 30 newly independent countries came together to establish the organization of african unity oau, the precursor to the presentday african union au. The challenges of regional integration in southern africa. Focusing on southern africa, and paying particular attention to the two main regional integration entities, the southern african development. In this respect, this research has sought to contribute to the process of finding answers to the subject of regional integration in southern africa. Regional integration in southern africa initiative, on which this article is based hansohm et. Regional economic integration in southern africa uni bamberg. Key issues in regional growth and integration in sou thern africa channing arndt a and simon j. Regional integratio olic an strateg ripos 20142023 vi africa evelopment ban group annexes annex 1 from the ten year strategy to the regional integration policy and strategy annex 2 schematic summary of the bank groups. Document of the world bank group for official use only. Regional integration in southern africa sadcs development strategy in the context of foreign influence verfasser michael schmeiser angestrebter akademischer grad magister mag.
Regional integration schemes in ssa west africa central africa east and southern africa iii. Rethinking and theorizing regional integration in southern. Pdf the role of south africa in sadc regional integration. Regional integration is a process in which neighboring states enter into an agreement in order to upgrade cooperation through common institutions and rules. It is argued that in spite of their ambitious goals, the governments of southern africa. Sadc regional integration in southern africa and its effects on the political risk for foreign direct investment. Conventionally, integration requires the amalgamation of political and economic policies. Economic integration is more likely to succeed when it occurs alongside regional attempts at improving political stability and or developing joint infrastructure. Late professor michael cowen recommended me sadc as an interesting case worth of studying. These states, consisting of the southern african customs union sacu member states, are c.
The role of south africa in sadc regional integration. In a comparative context, the findings of the studies suggest cautious optimism for regional integration efforts in subsaharan africa. This paper represents the opinions of the author, and is the product of professional research. Chapter three the achievements of sadc is the core of the document. The objectives of the agreement could range from economic to political to environmental, although it has typically taken the form of a political economy initiative where commercial interests are the focus for achieving broader socio. Sadc regional integration in southern africa and its effects on the. Durham etheses a critical analysis of regional integration. A critical analysis of regional integration in southern africa. Regional integration in sou thern africa overview of recent developments lolette kritzingervan niekerk emmanuel pinto moreira december 2002 the findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. An analysis of south africas role in regional integration in. Africas integration journey towards a more connected, competitive and businessfriendly continent is underway and its roadmap is, in some areas, under construction. Advancing regional integration in southern africa an evidencebased, forward looking study on regional trade and integration in the tripartite region, focusing primarily on southern africa. For regional integration in africa to be a success, africa s leaders will have to move beyond grand gestures and abstract visions.
It is from this perspective that the african union commission and the economic commission for africa publish the report on assessing regional economic integration in. Deepening regional integration in southern africa unuwider. This paper examines the history of regional integration in africa, what has. In southern africa in particular, with its comparatively small economies, r egional integration was meant to play a. More focused and gradual steps that are carefully executed at the domestic level may be the best place to start. The sadc fta is intended to act as a catalyst for increased regional integration and to facilitate trade and investment flows within the region. Importantly, the development of rvcs also creates pressure for further integration. The collapse of state communism in eastern europe during the second half of the past decade and the subsequent demise of autocratic regimes in africa presented the people of southern africa with new challenges that have become increasingly entangled in issues relating to democracy, freedom and choice.
In southern africa, poor economic performance by individual countries coupled with the. Yet dominant development theories informing policy have yet to integrate integration theory into their models. In fy 2017, the world bank group engaged in projects dedicated to regional. Mwasha abstract regional economic integration rei refers to the commercial policy of discriminatively reducing or eliminating trade barriers only between the states joining together. The benefits of regional economic integration for developing. The southern african development community sadc has fallen short of the ambitious economic integration goals it set for itself in terms of economic integration. This volume is dedicated to the memory of anna morner, who played an instrumental role in the staging of the conference on which this publication is based, and who was tragically. Regional integration in africa trudi hartzenberg trade law centre for southern africa tralac manuscript date. Both of these developments have important implications for africa. Moreover, the research has sought to ask questions about the way we explain, understand, theorise and study regional integration. The second in the series of papers on regional integration in southern africa deals with those states which, along with south africa, have reached a high level of integration and interdependence in the region. However, reference to selassie as an african integration thinker might appear contentious.
The collection of chapters in the 20152016 monitoring regional integration yearbook covers diverse aspects of the southern african regional integration agenda, including trade matters, nontariff barriers, the role of cities in regional development and many more. Monitoring the process of regional integration in southern africa in 2008. Hence, in order to proffer a broader, if not comprehensive, understanding of integration, this article proposes a multidisciplinary inquisition that investigates the concept of integration by using historically sensitive methodologies. Individuelles diplomstudium internationale entwicklung. Dynamics of equity in trade, education, media and labour east african integration dynamics of equity in trade, education, media and labour. In southern africa, the attempt to achieve regional integration using disintegrative development models has led to paralysis and pain. Talkmore chidede, tralac researcher, discusses how intra regional trade in the southern african development community can be improved. Regional integration helps countries overcome divisions that impede the flow of goods, services, capital, people and ideas. An economywide transition to sustainability is underway, with energy at its core. While integration brings major benefits for the region, these are unevenly distributed. Deepening regional integration in sou thern africa its total imports from the region and consequently runs a large trade surplus with the rest of the sadc. A preferential trade area pta was established in 1981 to cover the countries of east and southern africa, which was eventually replaced in 1993 by the common market for eastern and southern africa comesa. Key issues in regional growth and integration in southern.
During this time i have learned more about the region and sadc itself and it has become. Regional integration in southern africa a test case for the. Towards agenda 2063 provides a ready and accessible resource for trade policymakers, parliamentarians, the private sector, academia and civil society, as well as the general public. This report does not aim at providing a systematic evaluation of the effects of regional integration in west africa, nor to recommend or even suggest courses of action for donor countries. Yet, integration projects transcend political and economic cooperation and might even require harmonization of laws and principles. Second, the global financial crisis has hit all the economies in the region hard, particularly south africa. In that respect, three recs, namely, the common market for eastern and southern africa comesa, the east african community eac and the southern african development community sadc, have decided to join efforts for setting up a tripartite free trade area tfta. The objectives of this paper are to study the literature related to regional economic integration and identify the general benefits which can be obtained from economic integration schemes. A continuous evaluation of the integration efficiency in africa is fundamental to gain a deeper understanding of the strengths and weakness of the african integration efforts. The making or braking of the organization article pdf available in journal of international commercial law and technology 53 january.
Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the degree of master of social sciences, in the graduate programme in the school of social sciences. Reaping the benefits of regional integration knowledge for. Monitoring regional integration in southern africa konrad. Regional integration is making steady progress in southern africa, leading to the development of regional value chains rvcs that could strengthen the competitiveness of the region.
Robertsb adevelopment strategies and governance division, international food policy research institute, washington, dc, usa. Africa s challenges call for pragmatism and a sense of urgency in action. For central africa the treaty of the economic community of central african states eccas. I have worked with the topic of regional integration in southern africa now for almost seven years. Africas electricity sustainability through regional integration channels. In africa, many such challenges affect poor peoples lives in areas. These divisions are a constraint to economic growth, especially in developing countries. Thus, it is not always possible to definitely attribute certain integration effects to coordination activities within one specific integration scheme.
Africa lacks coherence or a systematic regional approach to migration disconnect between the aus vision vs reality in member states. Sadcs protocol on trade and south africas big fingerprint. At the macrolevel, one of the most prominent examples of regional integration in africa, the southern african development community sadc, is examined. Regional integration is increasingly being accepted as essential in facilitating economic and political development. The office of the special adviser on africa, established in may 2003, facilitates the coordination of international support for africa s development and security. Conceptual issues in this area form the theoretical basis of the report which. Regional integration in southern africa overview of recent developments lolette kritzingervan niekerk emmanuel pinto moreira december 2002 the findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the authors. The challenges of regional integration in southern africa mark chingono and steve nakana university of zimbabwe, p.
For southern africa, and the southern african development community sadc, a new research project aims to fill the gap. For example, progresses have been uneven, so far, among the eight regional economic communities recs recognized by the african union commission auc 3 and supposed to be the building block of regional integration. The political economy of regional integration in southern africa. However, the regional integration process is not necessarily smooth and linear. The discussion is concluded by a few observations on challenges facing regional integration in eastern and southern africa esa. This is a working paper, and hence it represents research in progress. Regional integration studies is characterized by, and normally understood as, a combination of inquiries from various disciplines.
Sep 11, 20 the monitoring regional integration yearbook has become a household name in the sadc region, when it comes to monitoring the progress or nonprogress of integration within the southern africa region. Political economy of regional integration in subsaharan africa. Mccarthy further notes that even if regional integration could in the end succeed as a formal exercise, sustainable growth will require competitiveness in world markets. Without his guidance this work probably never had been done.
Regional integration refers to various types of political and economic agreements that form closer ties between sovereign countries. Regional integration in africa world trade organization. Regional integration is making steady progress in southern africa, leading to the development of regional value chains rvcs that could strengthen the. Africas regional integration index is an action tool measuring the progress of an africa on the move. Regional integration has remained a political and economic priority for africa since the dawn of independence in the continent. Despite the limited growth of intraeac trade, the eac is considered the most successful among all the regional economic communities in africa, having received the highest score among those communities on the regional integration index of the united nations economic commission for africa uneca. Africas challenges call for pragmatism and a sense of urgency in action. Apr 12, 2018 the centre for conflict resolution ccr, cape town, south africa, hosted a policy advisory group seminar on the theme regional integration in southern africa. Challenges impeding regional integration in southern africa. A growing private sector is a major source of wealth, dynamism, competitiveness and knowledge diffusion, all of which lead in many ways to longterm growth and sustainable development. The regional economic communities recs of the african.
Regional integration in southern africa a guidebook. Southern african news features offers a reliable source of regional information and analysis on the southern african development community, and is provided as a service to the sadc region. This article may be reproduced with credit to the author and publisher. Regional cooperation and regional integration are deemed vital to tackle development challenges that cannot be solved at the national level. First, to conceptualize regional integration in africa, and in southern africa. Migration was probably the single most important factor tying together all of the various colonies and countries of the subcontinent into a single regional labour market during the twentieth century. Sacu, regional integration and the overlap issue in southern. The purpose of this background paper is to inform the bank and. The benefits of regional economic integration for developing countries in africa. However, in face of the complexity of such a venture and the scarcity of data, the approach. An analysis of south africas role in regional integration in southern africa. A handbook on regional integration in africa commonwealth. Regional integration through the establishment of regional groupings has been taunted as a gateway to regional development and growth, the coming together of countries to share and contribute to knowledge, policy development, peace and security. From a restricted viewpoint of classic political economy, regional cooperation and integration are rather unlikely in southern africa, due to comparably less favourable preconditions.
Advancing regional integration in southern africa an evidencebased, forward looking study on regional trade and integration in the tripartite. Strengthening participatory governance in the southern african development community sadc. Accepted 12 september, 2008 regional integration is increasingly being accepted as essential in. Paper prepared for the workshop regional integration in comparison. The energy landscape in southern africa has been rapidly evolving over the last decades. Crucial to implementation is an understanding of the political economy underpinning economic integration in africa. In relation to this, this paper will explore the several attempts made at regional economic integration in africa and the problems encountered so far. The fundamental role of a robust and vibrant private sector for effective and sustained growth is incontestable. Here two levels of regional integration in the southern part of the continent are analysed. Southern africa has a long history of intra regional migration, dating back to the midnineteenth century. Chapter 2 status of regional integration in africa this focuses on the major shifts in african regional in tegration since aria vi, published in 20. For regional integration in africa to be a success, africas leaders will have to move beyond grand gestures and abstract visions. Monitoring regional integration in southern africa yearbook.