The political economy of regional integration in Africa The Southern African Development Community (SADC) Report

This report presents the findings of a political economy analysis of the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It focuses on what drives or constrains this regional organisation in particular sectors such as regional industrialisation, the development of a regional energy market, and Transfrontier Conservation Areas. This report is part of a broader study that also includes the African Union and four other Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in Africa.

This study provides a political economy explanation of the implementation gap - the gap between high level policy statements and actual progress in regional integration. The chapter on industrial and trade policy highlights the role of South Africa, which has used its dominant position in SADC to maintain its protectionist trade policy. A key issue raised by this study is the overreliance on donor funding (79% of SADC budget), which risks distorting SADC’s agenda and undermining accountability to member states.