South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA): Strategic Aid or Development Packages for Africa?

The report examines South Africa's transition from an aid recipient to a provider of development assistance in Africa. It details the limitations of the previous African Renaissance Fund (ARF) and the subsequent push to establish the South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA) to coordinate diverse domestic stakeholders and align with the 'African Agenda'. The analysis highlights South Africa's comparative advantages in peace-building, public financial management, and infrastructure, while noting tensions between altruistic 'ubuntu' diplomacy and the need for strategic economic diplomacy to support South African commercial interests.

• South Africa's development assistance is highly fragmented, with nearly half of all state departments and numerous state-owned enterprises (SOEs) engaged in international partnerships without a central coordinating agency.
• The African Renaissance Fund (ARF), the primary predecessor to SADPA, was found to be ineffective due to inefficient joint administration between two departments, a lack of strategic intent, and poor monitoring and evaluation (M&E) systems.
• SADPA is envisioned as a 'nodal point' and information hub rather than a direct implementer, focusing on policy guidelines, quality assurance, and the coordination of diverse partners including the private sector and civil society.
• South Africa possesses specific comparative advantages for development in Africa, particularly in peace-building, reconciliation, democratic elections, and public financial management (PFM).
• There is a tension in South African foreign policy between the 'diplomacy of ubuntu' (solidarity and interconnectedness) and the need for 'economic diplomacy' to ensure that development work produces commercial dividends for South African businesses.
• Trilateral co-operation is a growing trend where Northern donors leverage South African technical expertise to support third-party recipient countries, though this risks allowing foreign donors to steer South Africa's development agenda.
• The Southern African Customs Union (SACU) represents a massive but often overlooked form of financial transfer, with 2008 transfers totaling ZAR 27 billion, exceeding 1% of South Africa's GDP.
• Institutional rivalries between the Department of International Relations and Cooperation (DIRCO), the National Treasury, and the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) have delayed the formalization of SADPA.

APA

Besharati, N. A. (2013). South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA): Strategic Aid or Development Packages for Africa? South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Research-Report-12.pdf

Chicago

Besharati, Neissan Alessandro. South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA): Strategic Aid or Development Packages for Africa? South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Research-Report-12.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Besharati |first1=Neissan Alessandro |title=South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA): Strategic Aid or Development Packages for Africa? |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Research-Report-12.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{besharati2013south, author = {Besharati, Neissan Alessandro}, title = {{South African Development Partnership Agency (SADPA): Strategic Aid or Development Packages for Africa?}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/Research-Report-12.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }