Top 10 Business Constraints in SADC

The report identifies the top ten business constraints in the SADC region to facilitate policy dialogue and practical solutions. By reviewing World Bank data, World Economic Forum reports, and various Business Climate Surveys, the authors found that SADC countries generally perform poorly in ease of doing business, with Mauritius ranking 23rd and the Democratic Republic of Congo ranking 178th in 2012. The final list of top constraints includes issues such as access to finance, tax administration, lack of skilled labour, policy uncertainty, and infrastructure deficits.

• The SADC region generally performs poorly in the World Bank's 2012 Ease of Doing Business Rankings, with an average rank of 114th, representing a one percentage point decline from 2011.
• Among SADC countries in the 2012 rankings, Mauritius was the highest performer at 23rd, while the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) was the lowest at 178th.
• The primary obstacles to attracting and sustaining new business investment in the region are an unfavourable investment climate and a lack of predictability and stability in macroeconomic policy.
• Analysis of World Economic Forum data indicates that the most common regional barriers include access to financing, corruption, inefficient government bureaucracy, inadequate infrastructure, and labour-related issues such as poor work ethic and restrictive regulations.
• The report identifies the top ten most significant barriers to investment and development in SADC as: access and cost of finance; tax rates and administration; access to skilled labour; economic and regulatory policy uncertainty; exchange rate fluctuations and foreign currency regulations; customs regulations and bureaucracy; infrastructure supply (transport, telecommunications, IT, and energy); corruption; inefficient bureaucracy; and non-tariff trade barriers.

APA

Makokera, C. G., Chapman, G., & Wentworth, L. (2012). Top 10 Business Constraints in SADC. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Top_10_Business_constraints_in_SADC.pdf

Chicago

Makokera, Catherine Grant, Geoffrey Chapman, and Lesley Wentworth. Top 10 Business Constraints in SADC. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2012. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Top_10_Business_constraints_in_SADC.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Makokera |first1=Catherine Grant |last2=Chapman |first2=Geoffrey |last3=Wentworth |first3=Lesley |title=Top 10 Business Constraints in SADC |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=February 2012 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Top_10_Business_constraints_in_SADC.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{makokera2012top, author = {Makokera, Catherine Grant and Chapman, Geoffrey and Wentworth, Lesley}, title = {{Top 10 Business Constraints in SADC}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2012}, month = feb, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Top_10_Business_constraints_in_SADC.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }