Africa’s cooperation efforts can be traced as far back as the development of the Organisation of African Unity in 1963, which saw African states coming together with the intention of achieving greater unity and peace within the region. This inter-regional organisation was hinged on the realisation that in order to achieve any economic growth or peace on the African Continent, Member States would have to work together.
Continental and inter-regional cooperation and integration efforts have been ongoing for several decades now. Theory and experience have proved that such cooperation can positively contribute to capacity development, infrastructure and economic development across countries and regions. Emphasis on the term ‘cooperation‘ signals a process of working or acting together often towards a common goal.
Some of the inter-regional cooperation initiatives within and involving the SADC Region include the following initiatives, also discussed on the following pages:
- The African Union, SADC and NEPAD – working relationship between the these three key regional and continental institutions.
- The Tripartite Cooperation – orchestrated cooperation between SADC, the East African Community (EAC) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).
