Anticipating Change: Re-thinking SADC Industrial Policy

This briefing from the South African Institute of International Affairs argues for the adoption of 'anticipatory governance' within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to transform industrial policy. It suggests that embedding foresight into policymaking allows the region to proactively address uncertainties, such as those highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and leverage emerging trends in digitisation and climate action to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth.

• The author proposes 'anticipatory governance' as a proactive alternative to reactive policymaking, enabling SADC decision-makers to address complex problems through experimentation and the integration of foresight into policy processes to adapt to new trends.
• To support the green economy and the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), SADC governments should reskill and upskill their populations, utilizing frameworks like UNESCO’s Futures of Education initiative to make training systems adaptive to change.
• The region can achieve a competitive advantage by fostering innovation ecosystems that leverage youth potential in fields such as blockchain, fintech, and renewable energy, while harmonizing national strategies to avoid working in silos.
• SADC member states are encouraged to implement open-data policies and invest in internet infrastructure, including 5G technology and duty-free imports of telecommunication equipment, to promote data-informed innovation.
• There are opportunities to develop green economy clusters for value-addition, such as battery manufacturing, and to reposition the mining sector—which contributes at least 10% to the region's GDP—toward circular or bio-economy models like 'servitisation'.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2022). Anticipating Change: Re-thinking SADC Industrial Policy. https://saiia.org.za/research/anticipating-change-re-thinking-sadc-industrial-policy/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. Anticipating Change: Re-thinking SADC Industrial Policy. 2022. https://saiia.org.za/research/anticipating-change-re-thinking-sadc-industrial-policy/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=Anticipating Change: Re-thinking SADC Industrial Policy |date=7 October 2022 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/anticipating-change-re-thinking-sadc-industrial-policy/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2022anticipating, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{Anticipating Change: Re-thinking SADC Industrial Policy}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2022}, month = oct, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/anticipating-change-re-thinking-sadc-industrial-policy/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }