A closer look at the SADC Industrialisation Strategy

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has embarked on an ambitious path to transform into a manufacturing region instead of being consumer-driven. The 43-year plan will see regional member states trading among themselves, working on joint venture projects, freeing the movement of goods and people and converging with the African Union among other things.

At last week’s media familiarisation workshop, SADC brains tried to unpack the strategy stating that: “The central challenge facing Africa is how to transition from the commodity-dependent growth path in which African countries find themselves to value-adding, knowledge-intensive and industrialised economies”.