Implementation of the SADC Protocol on Trade, Protocol on Industry and more generally the Industrialisation Strategy and roadmap has been ad hoc, fragmented and not implemented as expected which has not led to a substantial increase in both industrialisation/value addition and intra-SADC trade.
International Economics is assisting the EU Delegation to Botswana and SADC to identify and formulate priority activities to be implemented through the Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access Programme as part of NDICI/Global Europe.
The EU is currently in the process of identifying and formulating priority activities to support the SADC’s trade competitiveness and regional integration efforts. The EU is one of SADC’s leading development partners, having implemented a series of multi-million aid-for-trade projects over the last years, such as the SADC Trade-Related Facility and the EU-SADC Trade Facilitation Programme, amongst many others. The rationale behind this project is the slow pace of integration in the SADC region and the need to enhance the region’s integration process. The existing Africa Trade Competitiveness and Market Access programme has taken inspiration from other regional programmes in the Eastern African region and West Africa.