SADC: A Development Community without a Development Policy?

During the last decade a major shift occurred in the policy strategies of African sub-regional organisations. Self-reliance and pan-African solidarity have been replaced by trade liberalisation as the primary aim of inter-state economic cooperation in sub-Saharan Africa. This article analyses the economic strategy pursued by the Southern African Development Community (SADC) during the 1990s. After reviewing the theoretical and political ambiguities surrounding the creation of SADC in 1992, the article examines the main political issues raised by the implementation of the SADC Trade Protocol and questions the neo-liberal approach that underlies the new industrial strategy now under discussion within the SADC. The analysis of contemporary trade and investment trends in Southern Africa highlights the increasing economic polarisation among the countries of the region and raises serious questions on the regional development potential of the market-driven integration promoted by the SADC.