Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2002. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Free trade is said to maximize welfare in a world organized by nation-states. To participate in the global economy more effectively most nation-states have implemented economic policies with the objective of freeing international trade. This movement has been facilitated by the process of globalization which has had unparalleled effects on the economic policies of countries worldwide. However, countries-have found it increasingly difficult to manage their economies at the multilateral level since the benefits of global free trade are not equally shared. This has led to an increase in Regional Integration Agreements (RIAs), which are seen as a tool for strategic growth and development while promoting free trade on a more restricted basis. In the last decades of the 20th century, the world has seen an increase in the number of RIAs particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, However, empirical evidence has shown, contrary to what happened in Europe, that in Africa most attempts at economic integration have failed to promote meaningful economic growth and development. Notwithstanding that, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has embraced economic integration as a strategy for growth in the region. Focusing on SADC and the Angolan economy as the main units of analysis, this study looks at the theory of economic integration to evaluate its validity for the African context and to find out how useful integration is in promoting economic growth and development in less developed countries. The study concludes that economic integration theory, which was developed within the context of European economies, is not relevant for African economies, which are different in character. Evidence indicates for instance, that in Africa the most important gains from economic integration are dynamic and not static, as the theory seems to suggest. Additionally, contrary to what happened in former attempts at forming RlAs in Africa, SADC has implemented a development integration approach aiming at industrialization. This is important, because according to the "Krugman-Venables model of regional relocation" the least developed countries can benefit from trade and investment from the most developed ones. The SADe Free Trade Protocol may be harmful for the Angolan economy in the short to medium term because of structural problems. However, it was found that if properly implemented it could playa major role in promoting growth and development in the longer term. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Vrye handel, so word beweer, vermeerder welvaart in 'n wêreld wat deur nasie-state georganiseer word. Die ekonomiese beleid van nasie-state is daarop gemik om internasionale handel te dereguleer, ten einde hulle in staat te stelom meer effektief binne die globale ekonomie deel te neem. Hierdie proses is gefasiliteer deur die verskynsel van globalisering wat ongeëwenaarde gevolge vir alle state in die wêreld meegebring het. Nietemin, vind state dit in toenemende mate moeilik om hierdie proses op multilaterale vlak te bestuur, aangesien die voordele van internasionale handel nie in gelyke mate gedeel word nie. Dit het gely tot 'n toename in Streeksintegrasie-Ooreenkornste (SIO's ). Hierdie ooreenkomste word beskou as 'n ekonomiese groei en ontwikkeling-strategie, terwyl internasionale handelop 'n meer beperkte grondslag bevorder word. Tydens die laatse dekades van die twintigste eeu, het die aantal SIO's (veral in Sub-Sahara Afrika) toegeneem. In teenstelling met die ervaring van die Europese Unie, dui die feite aan dat pogings tot ekonomiese integrasie in Afrika nie daarin geslaag het om betekenisvolle ontwikkeling en ekonomiese groei te bevorder nie. Nietemin, het die Suider-Afrikaanse Ontwikkelingsgemeenskap (SAOG) handels-integrasie aanvaar as 'n strategie vir ekonomiese groei in die streek (met as instrument die SAOG Vryehandel-protokol). Met fokus op die SAOG en Angola as eenhede van analise, evalueer die studie die liberale teorie van ekonomiese integrasie, ten einde uitspraak te lewer oor die geldigheid daarvan binne die konteks van Afrika, Tweedens, word daar ook aandag geskenk aan die vraag of ekonomiese integrasie 'n optimale strategie is vir die bevordering van ekonomiese groei en ontwikkeling in minder-ontwikkelde lande. Die gevolgtrekking wat gemaak word is dat ekonomiese integrasie (soos ontwikkel binne die Wes-Europese konteks) nie relevant is vir die eiesoortige omstandighede van Afrikastate nie. Daar is, onder andere, bevind dat die belangrikste voordele van integrasie in Afrika dinamies is, en nie staties nie (soos die teorie van ekonomiese integrasie dit in die vooruitsig stel). Daarby, en teenstrydig met vorige pogings tot die vorming van SIO's in Afrika, het die SAOG 'n ontwikkelings integrasie benadering aanvaar. Hierdie benadering is gemik op eweredige industrialisering in die streek. Dit is 'n belangrike punt, want volgens die "Krugman-Venables model van streekshervestiging" kan die minder ontwikkelde state voordeel trek van handel met, en beleggings uit die meer ontwikkelde state in die streek. Laatstens, is daar bevind dat die SAOG Vryehandel-protokol in die kort tot medium termyn nadelige gevolge vir Angola sal meebring. Dit is as gevolg van strukturele probleme in die Angolese ekonomie. Nietemin, indien behoorlik geïmplementeer, kan dit 'n betekenisvolle rol speel in die bevordering van ekonomiese groei en ontwikkeling oor die lang termyn.

Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The deteriorating human rights situations in Myanmar and Zimbabwe have drawn concerns from the international community. Mainly Western states and NGOs have criticised both governments and urged strong action from the regional organisations, namely ASEAN and SADC. However, because of the deeply rooted non-intervention norm in these regions, Southeast Asia and Southern Africa, the human rights situation in both states long remained serious. Recently however, ASEAN has taken up a strong stance towards Myanmar. On the contrary, SADC has showed reluctance to respond to the human rights violations in Zimbabwe. The question arises why these two regional organisations have showed different responses? In other words, the ASEAN member states have become relaxed and accepted the new human rights norm, discarding the traditional non-intervention norm, while the SADC member states still stick to the norm of non-intervention. In order to find answers, the focus in this thesis is on the process of socialisation which means that the actors adopt new norms which are also accepted by society as a whole. Three mechanisms which lead to socialisation, namely strategic calculation, role-playing and normative suasion, are discussed. The conclusion reached is that regional organisation can play a role in inducing the member states to accept the new norm, in the process the regional organisation is also socialised through interaction with other international organisations and actors. Here, historical background, and particularly the process of gaining independence in SADC heavily influenced the socialisation process in this region. SADC member states‘ liberation struggle against colonialism and apartheid led to the formation of strong bonds among member states that has made it difficult for respective state leaders to criticise each other. Such strong bonds do not exist in Southeast Asia. In Southeast Asia, member states interact actively with external actors such as the EU and NGOs. Thus they become receptive to human rights norms; in turn, the regional organisation itself has been socialised and has become relaxed enough to discard the non-intervention norm. Also an increasingly large middle class has become interested in the human rights situation in its neighbouring countries. These are the factors which have led to the differing responses from ASEAN and SADC to human rights abuses in their regions. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Nadat hulle onafhanklikheid gekry het, het die menseregte situasie in Myanmar en Zimbabwe agteruitgegaan. Die internasionale gemeenskap, meestal Westerse state en nie-regerings organisasies het albei regerings gekritiseer en die streeksorganisasies, naamlik ASEAN en SADC, dringend versoek om streng op te tree. Weens die diep-gewortelde nie-intervensie norm in beide Suidoos-Asië en Suider-Afrika het die menseregte situasie egter lank ernstig gebly. ASEAN het egter meer onlangs sterk standpunt ingeneem teenoor Myanmar. Maar SADC is nog steeds onwillig om te reageer op die menseregte vergrype in Zimbabwe. Die vraag is nou waarom hierdie twee streeksorganisasies so verskillend opgetree het. Die lidstate van ASEAN het ontspanne geraak en die nuwe menseregte norme aanvaar en die tradisionele nie-intervensie norm laat vaar, terwyl SADC lidstate nog hou by die nie-intervensie norm . In die soek na antwoorde, is die fokus van hierdie tesis op die proses van sosialisering wat beteken dat die akteurs nuwe norme wat deur die internasionale gemeenskap as geheel aanvaar word, aanneem. Die drie meganismes wat lei tot sosialisering, naamlik strategiese berekening, rol-speling en normatiewe oorreding, word bespreek. Die slotsom waartoe gekom word is dat streeksorganisasies ‘n rol kan speel in die oorreding van lidstate om die nuwe norm te aanvaar en dat die streeksorganisasies in die proses deur interaksie met ander internasionale organisasies en akteurs, self gesosialiseer word. Historiese agtergrond en veral die proses waardeur onafhanklikheid in die lande van Suider-Afrika verkry is, het die sosialisasie proses in die area beïnvloed. SADC lidstate se vryheidstryd teen kolonialisme en apartheid het sterk bande tussen lidstate gesmee en dit moeilik gemaak vir die leiers van die state om mekaar te kritiseer. Daar bestaan nie sulke sterk bande in Suidoos-Asië nie. Verder is daar in Suidoos-Asië aktiewe interaksie met ander organisasies soos die Europese Unie en met nie-regerings organisasies. Dus is hulle meer ontvanklik vir menseregte norms. Op hulle beurt is die streeksorganisasies ook gesosialiseer en het hulle ontspanne genoeg geraak om af te sien van die nie-intervensie norm. Die groeiende middelklas het ook geïnteresseerd geraak in die menseregte situasie in hulle eie en in die buurlande. Dit is die faktore wat gelei het tot die verskillende reaksies van ASEAN en SADC tot die menseregte vergrype in hulle onderskeie streke.

Dissertation (PhD)--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The overall aim of this study is to shape the future of the SADC through the New Partnerships for Africa’s Development leadership development strategy (NEPAD LDS), including a social responsiveness strategy. It proceeds from the premise that leadership development should be based on the values and interests of an institution, because these represent the institution’s position regarding the context within which it exists. This study pursued the following objectives: • To identify leadership needs in the SADC • To suggest a NEPAD-based leadership development strategy that includes a social responsiveness strategy as a response to identified SADC leadership needs The research therefore viewed the future of the SADC through leadership development. The entry point in this process was to establish the character and qualities of the SADC, considering that the continued existence of this region depends on its ability to transform all its systems in a unified pursuit of common goals. The history and natural resources of the region were thus seen to be the most visible measures of its overall health and strategic direction. The process of stakeholder identification and mapping was then pursued, with the view to help the SADC leadership to assess systematically the nature and impact of groups with which the organisation deals. Following the stakeholder analysis, information on the macro-environment of the SADC was gathered because of the impact the external environment has on the SADC. This large body of information was screened systematically. The scanning taxonomy that was developed included five areas: social, technological, environmental, economic and political (STEEP). This specialised taxonomy helped the researcher to focus on issues of greatest concern to the study. The issues that were scanned are discussed relative to their impact on SADC leadership practice. Based on the leadership challenges in the SADC thus identified, planning assumptions were developed, which are best guesses or predictions about key dimensions of the future given the leadership challenges identified. These assumptions are estimates based on the combination of estimating factors/validation points, which are portrayed in the analysis of the macro-environment of the SADC. The probability, the impact, the proximity and the maturity of these assumptions are interpreted by calculating their weighted positive or negative values. Cross-impact analysis of the validation points is used to guide the SADC decision-makers to adopt policies designed to achieve more desirable leadership futures. Here, the connections between validation points impacting on the probability of one another are illustrated. These specified relationships trace out a distinct, plausible and internally consistent future for the SADC leadership. This analysis gives rise to the identification of key validation points/drivers in the SADC from which emerge the key leadership needs of this region. Further needs that emerged were to make the NEPAD the base upon which the leadership development programme is built, and to incorporate social responsiveness strategy. Based on these key leadership needs in the SADC, it is suggested that a NEPADbased leadership development strategy, including a social responsiveness strategy, be developed and implemented. Furthermore, the NEPAD leadership development strategy (NEPAD LDS) should be based on the premise that linking leadership development with a social responsiveness strategy is critical not only for the SADC, but for the entire world, because this region is part of the global village. It is suggested that the implementation strategy should enable participants to translate the NEPAD LDS into action and to see leadership development and a social responsiveness strategy as key mechanisms for doing so. This study attempts to avoid the worn-out remedies of the past and uses a holistic approach called Common Sense Management, which entails market research, directionsetting, strategy development, implementing strategies and outcome assessment. The findings and the conclusions for this study are organised around the research questions that were the basis of motivation for this study. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die oorhoofse doelwit van hierdie studie is om die toekoms van die Suider- Afrikaanse Ontwikkelingsgemeenskap (SAOG) te help bepaal deur middel van die Nuwe Vennootskap vir Afrika se Ontwikkeling (algemeen bekend as NEPAD) se leiderskapsontwikkelingstrategie (LDS), insluitende 'n sosiale deelnemendheidstrategie. Dit gaan uit vanaf die veronderstelling dat leierskapsontwikkeling op die waardes en belange van 'n instelling behoort te berus, omdat hulle die instelling se posisie verteenwoordig rakende die konteks waarbinne dit bestaan. Hierdie studie het die volgende doelwitte nagevolg: • Om leierskapsbehoeftes in SAOG te identifiseer • Om 'n NEPAD-gebaseerde leierskapontwikkelingstrategie voor te stel wat 'n sosiale deelnemendheidstrategie insluit as 'n reaksie op die geïdentifiseerde SAOG leierskapsbehoeftes. Daarom betrag die navorsingstuk die toekoms van SAOG deur die bril van leierskapsontwikkeling. Die vertrekpunt in hierdie proses was om die karakter en hoedanighede van SAOG vas te stel met in agneming dat die volgehoue bestaan van hierdie streek van sy vermoë afhang om al sy stelsels in 'n verenigde nastreef van gemeenskaplike doelwitte te transformeer. Die geskiedenis en natuurlike hulpbronne van die streek is dus gesien as die mees sigbare maatreëls in sy oorhoofse gesondheid- en strategiese rigting. Die proses om belanghebbers te identifiseer en te beskryf, is vervolgens aangepak met die oog op bystand aan die SAOG se leierskap om die aard en impak van groepe waarmee die organisasie te doene het, sistematies te beoordeel. Na afloop van die belanghebbersanalise, is inligting oor SAOG se makro-omgewing versamel vanweë die impak van die eksterne omgewing op SAOG. Hierdie groot hoeveelheid inligting is sistematies verwerk. Die verwerkingsistematiek wat ontwikkel is, sluit vyf gebiede in: sosiaal, tegnologies, omgewing, ekonomies en polities (STOEP). Hierdie gespesialiseerde sistematiek het die navorser in staat gestel om op sake wat van die grootste belang vir die studie is, te konsentreer. Die aangeleenthede wat verwerk is, word bespreek in verhouding met hul impak op SAOG se leierskapspraktyke. Op grond van die leierskapsuitdagings in SAOG wat aldus geïdentifiseer is, is beplanningsaannames opgestel wat beste skattings of voorspellings verteenwoordig aangaande sleutelelemente van die toekoms, gegewe die leierskapsuitdagings wat bepaal is. Hierdie aannames word vasgestel op grond van die samestelling van faktore/geldigheidspunte wat in die analise van die makro-omgewing van SAOG voorgestel word. Die waarskynlikheid, die impak, die nabyheid en die rypheid van hierdie aannames word by wyse van die berekening van hul geweegde positiewe of negatiewe waardes geïnterpreteer. 'n Kruisimpakanalise van die geldigheidspunte word gebruik om rigting aan die SAOG besluitnemers te verskaf om hul beleidsrigtings aan te pas om 'n meer gewenste leierskapstoekoms te bewerkstellig. Hier word dan die verbinding tussen die geldigheidspunte uitgebeeld wat 'n invloed op mekaar se onderlinge waarskynlikheid uitoefen. Hierdie aangeduide verhoudings dui 'n duidelike, geloofbare en intern konsekwente toekoms vir die SAOG leierskap aan. Hierdie analise gee aanleiding tot die identifisering van sleutelgeldigheidspunte/aandrywers vir SAOG waaruit die deurslaggewende leierskapsbehoeftes van die streek na vore tree. Verdere behoeftes wat duidelik geword het, was dat NEPAD die basis behoort te verskaf waarop die leierskapsprogram gebou behoort te word, asook om 'n sosiale deelnemendheidstrategie daarby in te begryp. Op grond van hierdie sleutelleierskapsbehoeftes in SAOG, word aan die hand gedoen dat 'n NEPAD-gebaseerde leierskapsontwikkelingstrategie, insluitende 'n sosiale deelnemendheidstrategie, ontwikkel en toegepas word. Verder behoort die NEPAD leierskapontwikkelingstrategie (NEPAD LDS) op die aanname te berus dat 'n aaneenskakeling van leierskapsontwikkeling met 'n sosiale deelnemendheidstrategie krities nie slegs vir SAOG is nie, maar vir die hele wêreld, aangesien hierdie streek deel is van die wêrelddorp. Dit word aanbeveel dat die implementeringstrategie deelnemers behoort in staat te stel om die NEPAD LDS in aksie in om te skakel en om leierskapsontwikkeling en 'n sosiale deelnemendheidstrategie te beskou as sleutelmeganismes in die proses. Hierdie studie poog om die uitgediende redmiddels van die verlede te vermy en om eerder 'n holistiese benadering te gebruik, wat Gesonde Verstandbestuur genoem kan word, wat marknavorsing, rigtingbepaling, strategie-ontwikkeling, die implementering van strategieë en uitkomsgebaseerde assessering insluit. Die bevindings en die gevolgtrekkings in hierdie studie word om die navorsingsvrae gegroepeer wat as motivering vir hierdie studie gedien het.

Thesis (MDF)--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Treaty aims at achieving regional integration, poverty alleviation and economic growth. Water is a catalyst to these aims, thus making it key for the region to manage and develop water resources. Water in the SADC region is a shared resource among the countries, making joint development of the resource important for peace and prosperity. SADC has been promoting transboundary water resources management among its member states. The region has done a lot of work in establishing an enabling environment for the management of water resources. The SADC Protocol for Shared Watercourses (the “Watercourses Protocol”), the Regional Water Policy (the “Water Policy”) and the Regional Water Strategy (the “Water Strategy”) are all instruments that have been developed to support the management of water resources. However, the region remains heavily under-developed in terms of water infrastructure and in order for the region to develop its water resources, the SADC secretariat has developed a Regional Strategic Water Infrastructure Development Programme (referred to as the “SADC Programme for water infrastructure development” in this study). The Programme is aimed at responding to the lack of infrastructural development in the region and identifies regional water projects to be implemented. Water is a sector that struggles in attracting private sector funding and involvement. This study aims to look into ways that the private sector can been attracted to participate in the Programme for water infrastructure development and also proposes ways they can be engaged. Private-sector involvement varies from project identification to project implementation and funding. To attract the private sector to participate in the SADC Programme for water infrastructure development, SADC and the member states have to build on the enabling environment established in the region and also on relationships based on existing institutions. The private sector needs to be assured of good market potential and sound financial returns. This can be achieved if the region better co-ordinates the prioritization of regional projects through integrated planning. NEPAD and SADC working closely together, to issue that a consistent development agenda is communicated to potential investors, could add value and avoid duplication. It is also important to link to national development priorities in order to ensure that local issues are addressed. Capacity of the public sector to support regional projects is also important – capacity to develop bankable projects, develop financing mechanisms and to implement the projects is required at all levels. The SADC region lacks capacity to participate in complex infrastructure projects and this has to be addressed through establishing a Private Public Partnership Unit at the SADC Secretariat. Capacity to also manage and regulate water services is lacking in a number of countries in the region. These are important issues to ensure fair pricing and to give the private sector confidence on issues of tariff setting. To attract private funding into the water sector the region needs to develop innovative financing mechanisms in order to leverage market-based repayable finance. In the implementation of the SADC Programme for water infrastructure development there is a need to evaluate various types of innovative financial instruments and assess their potential use for regional water projects. Local capital markets in a number of the countries are weak, therefore the implementation of the SADC Protocol on Finance and Investment (the “Finance Protocol”) is important in strengthening these markets. Political will and good governance within member states are also important in attracting investors. SADC as the promoter of infrastructure policies in the region should play a proactive role in encouraging its member states to observe the rule of law and also to use existing treaties within SADC to ensure countries do so. Poor governance and unstable economies are a disincentive for private sector involvement.

A Dissertation submitted,.to the Faculty of Arts in ftllfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master in International Relations / Andrew Chakane 2018

Cette étude fait un examen théorique et empirique approfondi des effets de l'intégration économique régionale dans un espace en développement. En prenant le cas de la SADC (Southern African Developpment Community - Communauté des Etats de l'Afrique australe), l'objet est de vérifier si cette coopération Sud-Sud vérifie un ensemble des effets attendus de la régionalisation, à savoir, la création et la déviation de commerce, l'attractivité des investissements directs étrangers, la croissance endogène régionalisée et la synchronisation de l'évolution des économies intégrées. Après avoir présenté la trajectoire du régionalisme austral et les difficultés ainsi que les asymétries des gains liés à ce regroupement basé sur l'hétérogénéité des pays, nous montrons ensuite que l'intégration économique de la SADC génère des effets de création de commerce qui ne découlent pas forcément des effets de détournement, pour cause de raison structurelle. En effet, la SADC est un bloc commercial dont la structure productive ne permet pas de détourner ses échanges avec l'Extérieur, même si certains de nos résultats estiment un léger effet de détournement de commerce de la zone. Dans un autre contexte, nous justifions économétriquement que la SADC est un argument crédible en matière d'attractivité des investissements directs étrangers. La région a fait des efforts pour rendre ses économies attractives. Nos résultats montrent que l'intégration pourrait expliquer les 1/3 des IDE entrants au sein de la région depuis la refondation de l'organisation australe. Le reste des flux entrants serait dû aux effets spécifiques nationaux. On retient également de cette étude que la constitution d'un capital spatial austral semble valider l'hypothèse d'une croissance endogène régionalisée. Autrement dit, la SADC en tant qu'organisation régionale et spatiale serait un facteur de croissance économique pour les pays membres. Les principaux effets induits par la création du bloc austral (créations commerciales et flux des IDE, etc.) ont un impact favorable sur le PIB/tête des pays. Ceci nous amène alors à vérifier si les différents effets issus de la régionalisation australe permettent de surcroît la synchronisation des économies membres dans l'esprit de la théorie de l'endogénéité des critères de la ZMO. D'après nos estimations et nos résultats, il ressort que la teneur de ces effets est insuffisante pour permettre une même trajectoire convergente des économies de la SADC. Cependant, certains signes empiriques montrent que la SADC est une zone disposée à endogénéiser les critères d'optimalité en termes de convergence économique. Autrement dit, elle semble répondre à l'argument de Frankel et Rose (1998), puisque l'effet commercial a un signe négatif malgré le fait qu'il ne soit pas significatif. Enfin, contrairement à ce que l'on peut croire, la création d'une union monétaire au sein de la SADC n'est pas forcément favorable à la synchronisation de l'évolution des économies membres si l'on tient compte de l'évolution actuelle des choses.

This study is concerned with Canadas policy towards peace, security and development in Africa. It examines Canadas response to these issues in relation to the New Partnership for Africas Development (NEPAD), the African Union Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Security Mechanism. With the intensification of violent conflicts in parts of Africa and their impact on individuals, communities, and socioeconomic development, African leaders transformed the OAU into the AU and established APSA to promote regional and human security in Africa. At the sub-regional level, West African leaders established the ECOWAS Security Mechanism to address the (human) security deficit in the West Africa region. These institutional transformations coincided with the launching of the NEPAD, which became one of the central instruments of engagement between Africa and the international community to address the peace, security and development challenges on the African continent. Canadas response to the NEPAD under the Liberal government of Jean Chrtien came in the form of a $500 million Canada fund for Africa (CFA) that among other things supported the capacity building of APSA and the ECOWAS Security Mechanism. The promotion of human security played a key role in Canadas approach to the AU and ECOWAS peace and security capacity building. I use a non-imperial internationalist approach that draws on the theoretical insights of a constructivist approach to international relations to provide an understanding of the Canadian governments policy. I argue that the Canadian governments policy towards the AU and ECOWAS can be understood in terms of the moral identity that Canada has built or acquired over the years in Africa. While this moral identity provides the means through which Canadian interests are pursued in Africa, it appears that the interest in maintaining this image has overshadowed the need for the Canadian government to craft an overarching policy and put resources behind the rhetoric of promoting peace and security, particularly human security in Africa.

<p>The general objective of the proposed research is to do a needs analysis for the tourism and hospitality industries of South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho and Swaziland. This will be followed by an alignment of these industries with the provisions of the General Agreement of Trade in Services, commonly known as GATS, so that a Tourism and Hospitality Services Charter may be moulded that may be used uniformly throughout SACU. The specific objectives of the research are: To analyze impact assessment reports and studies conducted on the Tourism and Hospitality Industries for all five SACU member states with the aim of harmonizing standards, costs and border procedures. To ecognize SACU member states&rsquo / schedule of GATS Commitments, especially in the service sectors being investigated, by improving market access, and to recommend minimal infrastructural development levels to be attained for such sectors&rsquo / support. To make recommendations to harness the challenges faced by the said industries into a working document. To calibrate a uniformity of trade standards in these sectors that shall be used by the SACU membership. To ensure that the template is flexible enough for SACU to easily adopt and use in ongoing bilateral negotiations, for example.</p>

<p>Regional integration is being proposed as a means to development in Southern Africa. As a part of the formal agreements regarding this cooperation, a Protocol on Education in the Southern African Development Community region has been signed. This research set out to compare the higher education systems of two Southern African countries and to examine the extent to which this Protocol has had an impact on national policies and practices. The research sought to investigate this by means of exploring the extent to which the Protocol has provided an institutional frame which is guiding the development of higher education policy in each of the two countries. The findings of the study indicate that the Protocol, rather than providing leadership in the area of education policy, is to a large extent a symbolic document, reflective of norms already existent in national policy in the two countries studied.&nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / &nbsp / </p>

<p>The tri-partite initiative in and for Africa has been accompanied by high levels of optimism since its political endorsement in 2008. It provides for an opportunity to resolve a host of problems with regards to regional integration in Eastern and Southern Africa. The overall aim of this study is to explore the prospects and challenges towards realising the Tri-partite Free Trade Area&nbsp / (T-FTA) in and for Africa. This study is pragmatic and implicitly seeks to uncover how the T-FTA could contribute to the African Regional Integration Project (ARIP), given the challenges that&nbsp / regional integration face in Africa. Regional integration has a long and rich history in Africa, which started at thehave been weak since the start and persist in its superficial nature with littledevelopmental impact. The reasons for the lack of meaningful integration in Africa are wide-ranging and span national, regional and system level analytical viewpoints. They encompass&nbsp / areas such as developmental levels, political will, respect for regional architecture, overlapping membership and the Economic Partnership Agreements (EPAs). These factors impact on the&nbsp / integration process in Africa and explain in varied ways why there has been little comprehensive economic integration. The starting point was to define the complex concept of regional integration. The dominant factors that define and affect regional integration in this study are that it is a state-based exercise, driven by economic integration, and influenced by the global political economy of the day. It was determined that Africa has adapted its regional integration strategies according to the shifts and influences in the global political economy on states,&nbsp / emanating from the post WWII period to the present day. The mpact of the global economy on Africa since independence was great and is viewed impact on the integration process. Regional integration is essentially a state to state&nbsp / pursuit for integration. Essentially, regional integration is being pursued by states that are still struggling to consolidate statehood, and this leaves little space to move towards a regional approach. However, given the dynamics of a globalised world, regional integration as a strategy is no longer questioned in Africa and is an important component of its developmental agenda. Clarifying the T-FTA was important, and this was done in order to highlight what the tri-partite initiative is and is not. This provided for an opportunity to&nbsp / investigate what the dominant areas are that have informed the emergence of the tri-partite process. The former was found to be largely economic in nature, focusing on harmonising the trade&nbsp / regimes of COMESA, EAC and SADC as a primary motivation. The tri-partite initiative will facilitate and encourage the harmonisation of trade regimes by stressing market integration,&nbsp / infrastructure development and industrialisation, coupled by a developmental approach. This is promising, as the tri-partite initiative seeks to simultaneously deal with many issues that have&nbsp / been commonly associated with the problems that regional integration face in Africa. When viewing the negotiating context, as well as the principles upon which it is to be based, indicate though, that Africa still favours individual state interest that will be hard to reconcile given that the tri-partite region currently has 26 participant states. In terms of economic integration, the T-FTA&nbsp / seeks to put new generation trade issues on the agenda by including services, movement of persons as well as trade facilitation, all of which have been found to be important in realising a&nbsp / trade in goods agenda that is the focus of regional integration in Africa. Analysing the grassroots realities of the market integration pillar offered some valuable insights towards the purposes&nbsp / of this study. The market integration pillar is inundated with challenges, with Rules of Origin (RoO) being the primary challenge towards consolidating the trade in goods agenda on a tri-partite&nbsp / level. New generation trade issues are going to be equally difficult to realise, given that they have no implementation record in the individual Regional Economic Communities (RECs). Promising though is that trade facilitation has already seen positive results by resolving non tariff barriers in the regions.Infrastructure development is equally challenging, although it provides&nbsp / a significant opportunity to create better connectivity (physical integration) between states. In lot of pan-African goals that directly feed into initiatives of the African Union (AU) pillar has not as yet created any concrete tri-partite plans, so it remains to be seen what can be achieved. Ideally, industrialisation is viewed as the pillar that will solve the supply-side constraints of African&nbsp / economies hence, strengthening the trade in goods agenda in the regions. Even though the T-FTA has practical challenges to implementation, there are at least two underlying factors that&nbsp / indirectly affect the prospects of realising the tripartite initiative. The EPAs are an emergent threat in that they run parallel to tripartite negotiations / and respect for a rules based integration process, are issues that warrant consideration. Fundamentally, in order to achieve a successful T-FTA will require a shift in the way business is done in African integration. African states need&nbsp / to realise that their national interests are best served through cooperation, in meaningful ways. Inevitably this requires good faith as well as ceding some sovereignty towards regional goals. Thus, there is a risk that the T-FTA not realised. The fundamentals of political will, economic polarisation and instability have to be resolved. This will lay an appropriate foundation for the&nbsp / tripartite initiative to be sustainable, with developmental impact. </p>