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The activities of the Southern African Development Community in relation to its purpose statementMagakwe, Jack 06 1900 (has links)
The study focuses on and explores the Southern African Development Community’s activities to determine whether the intended objectives have been accomplished as stated in its purpose statement. The study argues that the achievement of the Southern Africa Development Community’s purpose statement is important with regard to the implementation of developmental initiatives. This is because the SADC objectives are measured in the operationalisation and implementation of policies and the operationalisation of key activities. The Southern African region is rich in natural resources but lacks the political will and capacity for the institutionalisation of key processes to, among others, alleviate poverty and HIV/AIDS and address human security matters.
This study revealed that SADC did not achieve all its intended objectives. Several challenges, such as the full convertibility of regional currencies among member states still need to be addressed. One of the major challenges impacting negatively on the implementation and completion of SADC’s projects are the capacity, skills and expertise to drive key business processes. This study has found that in spite of complexities and challenges to implement SADC’s policies and programmes as stated in its purpose statement, there is a need to align the member states’ priorities with SADC’s objectives to maximise impact and overall successful execution thereof. Coupled with this challenge is another crucial challenge relating to the SADC structure, mechanisms and methodologies that are used for achieving SADC’s objectives. The study revealed that the structures, mechanisms and methodologies are inadequate to successfully implement and evaluate SADC’s projects.
Consequently, this study proposes some reforms in SADC’s Regional Indicative Strategic Plan that should be considered and integrated into the national plans, budgets and priorities of all SADC member states. Critically, it is important to ensure the alignment and buy-in of member states with regard to the development and implementation of SADC’s projects and programmes in the Southern African region. Firstly, the study proposes that partnerships with research institutions should be explored to strengthen the limited capacity of SADC’s Secretariat. Benchmarking and best practices with other international government organisations such as the African Union and the United Nations will provide a platform to improve the current activities of SADC to be more focused towards the desired outcomes. Secondly,
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SADC’s activities that are linked to its objectives should be intensified through the mobilisation of resources and expertise that are geared to all key result areas to improve regional integration and ultimately the achievement of SADC’s objectives as stated in its purpose statement. / Public Administration and Management / M.P.A.
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Trade capacity building in the multilateral trading system: how can developing and least developed countries benefit? a case study of Kenya and ZambiaNsenduluka, Annie Senkwe January 2010 (has links)
Magister Legum - LLM / The provisions of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT 1994) generally give favourable consideration to developing and least developed countries.1 Firstly, at the core of these provisions is the principle of special and differential treatment of these countries. As such developing countries are to meet their obligations under the WTO agreements as and when the special needs of their economies permit. The GATT 1994 provisions exempt least developed countries from participating in the obligations under the WTO agreements until such a time that they attain a reasonable level of development.Secondly, the Ministerial Meeting in Doha in November 2001 adopted a development agenda (that described capacity building activities as “core elements of the development dimension of the multilateral trading system”) and called for more co-ordinated delivery of trade related technical assistance and capacity building.2 In this regard, developed members of the WTO have committed to provide technical assistance to developing and least developed members in order to build their capacity to participate effectively under the WTO.The reality of the situation on the ground is that developing and least developed countries still face a lot of challenges which hinder their full participation and realization of the benefits under the multilateral trading system. It must be appreciated, at the same time that developing countries like China and India have been active and influential in the multilateral trading system, and additionally, their economies have and are experiencing overt growth. What
lessons does Africa need to learn from China and India?This study examines the causes of the poor performance of Sub Saharan Africa’s developing and Least Developed Countries in the multilateral trading system. In this regard, examples are drawn from two countries, namely, Kenya and Zambia.Further, the study examines the initiatives the WTO provides to enhance the trade capacity of its developing and least developed members. In addition, the study examines African trade capacity building initiatives such the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) Initiatives, as well as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) Initiative in order to establish how these initiatives can assist in enhancing the trade capacity of developing and least developed countries.The study further examines the role of regional trade integration in enhancing the trade capacity building of developing and least developed countries. In this case, examples are drawn from the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) and the Common Market for Eastern and
Southern Africa-Developing Countries (COMESA). In this regard, the study concludes that fully-fledged regional integration has the potential to promote economic growth and industrial development in Africa.The study also demonstrates the importance of the participation of governments and the private sector in improving a country’s participation in the multilateral trading system. This study
particularly takes key interest in the crucial role of the public-private partnerships in enhancing competitive forces and competitiveness necessary to maximize trade opportunities, which in turn produces economic development.It is observed and concluded in this study that sustainably financed technical assistance and capacity building programmes have important roles to play in so far as integration of Sub
Saharan Africa into the global trading system is concerned; and that developing countries in general and LDCs in particular are to be provided with enhanced Trade-Related Technical Assistance (TRTA) and capacity building to increase their effective participation in the negotiations, to facilitate their implementation of GATT/WTO rules and to enable them adjust and diversify their economies.
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The impact of regional integration on socio-economic development in Southern African Customs Union countriesTafirenyika, Blessing 03 1900 (has links)
Regional integration gained popularity and is prioritised globally, especially in developing
economies, including those on the African continent. This is based on its potential to
accelerate trade, stimulate economic growth, and increase access to basic necessities
and to induce a sustainable increase in economic output and improved standards of living.
Regional integration in the context of developing economies is entirely implicit. Modern
literature observes it as a policy option for dealing with a wide variety of issues related to
politics, economic factors, and societal welfare. The SACU, existing since 1910, made
several trade agreements globally. The union aims at reducing inequalities, ensuring
continuous improvement in the general welfare of the population, and sustainable
economic growth. Research, though, indicates that the region persistently reflects poor
socio-economic conditions. This is accompanied by limited development in infrastructure,
lowly skilled and experienced workforce. Primary sector activities dominate their
economies, such as mining and agriculture, high levels of inequalities and poverty.
Regional integration was implemented differently in several countries globally, and Africa
in particular. The research noted that literature on regional integration and its implications
on socio-economic development lacks, especially in the context of SACU. A deficiency
was also emphasised the universal measurement of regional integration, which is not
standardised. Some research employed single variables as a proxy, whilst some
composite indices were also compiled and implemented, suiting the diverse setups and
environments. The development measurements, therefore, cannot universally be applied
attributable to context-specific concerns, prevalent in regions or countries. This study
developed the SACU Regional Integration Index (SRII) because the existing indices on
regional integration are limited concerning applicability. Most of the indices established in
the literature were developed for specific countries and regions with diverse
characteristics from those of the SACU region. In addition to a detailed literature review
and closing methodological divergencies, this study evaluated the effects of regional
integration on socio-economic development in the SACU countries. The objectives of the
study were first, to produce the SACU Regional Integration Index. Second, the study
aimed at evaluating the effect of regional integration on various socio-economic
development factors listed as economic growth, investments, and the Human
Development Index (HDI), inequalities and poverty. Third, the study provided policy
recommendations to the socio-economic problems encountered by the SACU countries;
and lastly, to implement the proposed SRII as a way of providing policymakers with the
actual impacts. The study employed the principal component analysis (PCA) to construct
the SRII. The Ordinary Least Squares (LSDV), fixed effects and random effects were
employed to ascertain the effect of regional integration on socio-economic development
in the SACU countries. The constructed SACU index comprises four dimensions. These
are trade integration; productive integration; infrastructure integration; and financial and
macroeconomic policies integration. The index revealed that SACU countries are
dominated by trade and productive integration. Further analysis of the results indicated
that collaboration on the financial and macroeconomic policies is lacking and the
infrastructure dimension is lagging in the SACU region. Based on the second objective,
the results indicate that regional integration is critical in improving trade openness and
HDI, especially in Lesotho, Botswana, and Namibia. The effect of regional integration on
real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, inequalities, and poverty reduction was
realised in the long run through the interaction of all variables under study. This supported
the dynamic effects posited by the dynamic theory of regional integration. It was
established that growth, though, in infrastructure is insignificant compared to other
dimensions of regional integration. This explains why regional integration was
unsupportive concerning stimulating investments in all the economies forming the SACU
region. The third objective was to proffer policy recommendations. Several practical policy
recommendations emerged from this study, based on the literature findings and review.
These recommendations include implementing inclusive development programmes,
promotion private sector participation in economic activities, and policies, to boost
production capacity in the countries in this region. Based on the fourth objective, this study
further recommends SACU as a region, to integrate into the global economy. This can be
conducted by participating in global production networks for manufacturing and taking
advantage of emerging economies. This would diversify their export markets and their
sources of finance development. SACU countries should make regional integration and
trade a part of their national and sectoral development plans, ensuring coherent trade
and industrial policies. They should also improve their labour, education, social protection,
and safety nets. With data availability, this research can be extended to incorporate
quarterly data or more years of study. Time-series methods can be applied, such as the
Autoregressive Distributive Lag (ARDL) method. This will increase the sample size and
the number of observations, which can improve the outcome from the statistical and
econometric analysis. Future studies may also evaluate the applicability of the index
constructed in this study. / Economics / D. Phil. (Economics)
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Developing integrated management of ephemeral river basins in Botswana : the case of Boteti river sub-basinMotsholapheko, Moseki Ronald 04 1900 (has links)
Botswana is a water scarce country. Rainfall is highly variable, leading to limited surface
and groundwater resources. Due to persistently dry conditions most rivers found in
Botswana are ephemeral. The Boteti River sub-Basin is one of the numerous ephemeral
river sub-Basins, in Botswana. Key environmental challenges, resulting from human
activities, in the sub-Basin are: increased pressure on local resources due to overstocking,
overgrazing and over-harvesting; reductions in wildlife numbers; denudation of
vegetation and the resultant exposure of the soil to wind erosion. As a major step, to pilot
implementation of river basin management in the ephemeral river basins in southern
Africa, the Boteti River sub-Basin is one of the key areas identified for study under the
Ephemeral River Basins in the Southern African Development Community SADC (ERBSADC)
Project. This study was initiated, as part of the ERB-SADC project and its aim is
to investigate the socio-economic status of the Boteti River sub-Basin and determine the
potential for developing integrated management of water and land resources in the sub-
Basin. Its key objectives are to identify and assess types and patterns of water use; to
identify and assess key livelihood activities; and to critically assess community
participation in water resources management in the sub-Basin. A questionnaire was
administered to 293 households, a focus group discussion was held with twelve
community representatives of six villages in the sub-Basin, six traditional leaders and
five local government officers were interviewed as key informants, and informal
discussions were held with three local farmers. Results from the study indicate low
livelihood levels based on livestock and arable agriculture, high dependence on natural
resources and low participation of communities in water management. The study
concludes that a livelihood approach to integrated water resources management can help
deal with environmental challenges and enhance community participation. / Environmental Sciences / Thesis (M.A. (Environmental Science))
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Developing integrated management of ephemeral river basins in Botswana : the case of Boteti river sub-basinMotsholapheko, Moseki Ronald 04 1900 (has links)
Botswana is a water scarce country. Rainfall is highly variable, leading to limited surface
and groundwater resources. Due to persistently dry conditions most rivers found in
Botswana are ephemeral. The Boteti River sub-Basin is one of the numerous ephemeral
river sub-Basins, in Botswana. Key environmental challenges, resulting from human
activities, in the sub-Basin are: increased pressure on local resources due to overstocking,
overgrazing and over-harvesting; reductions in wildlife numbers; denudation of
vegetation and the resultant exposure of the soil to wind erosion. As a major step, to pilot
implementation of river basin management in the ephemeral river basins in southern
Africa, the Boteti River sub-Basin is one of the key areas identified for study under the
Ephemeral River Basins in the Southern African Development Community SADC (ERBSADC)
Project. This study was initiated, as part of the ERB-SADC project and its aim is
to investigate the socio-economic status of the Boteti River sub-Basin and determine the
potential for developing integrated management of water and land resources in the sub-
Basin. Its key objectives are to identify and assess types and patterns of water use; to
identify and assess key livelihood activities; and to critically assess community
participation in water resources management in the sub-Basin. A questionnaire was
administered to 293 households, a focus group discussion was held with twelve
community representatives of six villages in the sub-Basin, six traditional leaders and
five local government officers were interviewed as key informants, and informal
discussions were held with three local farmers. Results from the study indicate low
livelihood levels based on livestock and arable agriculture, high dependence on natural
resources and low participation of communities in water management. The study
concludes that a livelihood approach to integrated water resources management can help
deal with environmental challenges and enhance community participation. / Environmental Sciences / Thesis (M.A. (Environmental Science))
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