The Private Sector as a Driver of Regional Integration

The report examines the role of the private sector in advancing regional integration in Southern Africa, arguing that active private sector involvement often leads to more successful outcomes than state-led efforts alone. Through case studies on non-tariff barriers, payment systems, the sugar industry, and telecommunications, it demonstrates that large companies and industry associations can drive policy harmonisation and infrastructure development, sometimes independently of the region's largest economy, South Africa.

• Large companies in the telecommunications and banking sectors have demonstrated that active participation in regional policy debates and cooperation can yield significant benefits.
• The Tripartite NTB Reporting, Monitoring and Eliminating Mechanism has been more successful than previous efforts to address non-tariff barriers due to its institutional longevity, the simultaneous handling of tariff and NTB issues, and high levels of private sector involvement.
• The SADC Integrated Regional Electronic Settlement System (SIRESS), launched in July 2013 for South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, and Swaziland, has reduced cross-border money clearance times from 7-21 working days to a single working day through the cooperation of commercial banks and central banks.
• Regional integration initiatives in Southern Africa are not always dependent on the participation of South Africa, as evidenced by the NTB Monitoring Mechanism and certain cooperation within the sugar industry.
• In the telecommunications sector, the Communications Regulators’ Association of Southern Africa (CRASA) encourages policy harmonisation to attract investment, with private sector competition on issues like roaming costs creating urgency for the implementation of regional guidelines.
• The sugar industry in the SADC region is characterized by a diverse private sector and overlapping government interests, with countries like Swaziland, Malawi, and Zambia having developed efficient industries due to natural conditions and EU market access.

APA

Bertelsmann-Scott, T. (2013). The Private Sector as a Driver of Regional Integration. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_ps_TP_bertelsmann-scott_20131212.pdf

Chicago

Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha. The Private Sector as a Driver of Regional Integration. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2013. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_ps_TP_bertelsmann-scott_20131212.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Bertelsmann-Scott |first1=Talitha |title=The Private Sector as a Driver of Regional Integration |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=August 2013 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_ps_TP_bertelsmann-scott_20131212.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{bertelsmannscott2013private, author = {Bertelsmann-Scott, Talitha}, title = {{The Private Sector as a Driver of Regional Integration}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2013}, month = aug, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/REV_SAIIA_perisa_ps_TP_bertelsmann-scott_20131212.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }