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This case study examines the regulatory barriers hindering the development of a regional fuel ethanol market within the Southern African Development Community (SADC), focusing on sugarcane as a primary feedstock.

This case study examines the lack of progress in implementing a SADC Univisa, a regional visa intended to boost tourism and business travel in Southern Africa. Despite a 1998 protocol and the potential for 3-5% annual growth in tourism, implementation is hindered by security concerns, bureaucratic inertia, and conflicting interests between economic ministries and security agencies. The document highlights the disparity in visa openness compared to East Africa and suggests using the Kavango Zambezi (KAZA) TFCA pilot as a model for broader regional adoption.

This case study examines the non-tariff barriers and systemic inefficiencies at the Beit Bridge border post between South Africa and Zimbabwe. It details how inadequate infrastructure, IT failures, corruption, and bureaucratic redundancies cause significant delays for commercial trucks, increasing transport costs and consumer prices for goods such as fuel and sugar.

This case study examines the development of the Port of Walvis Bay in Namibia as a strategic logistics hub for the Southern African Development Community (SADC). It details the port's infrastructure upgrades, the role of the state-owned Namibian Ports Authority (Namport), and the use of public-private partnerships through the Walvis Bay Corridor Group to facilitate trade for landlocked neighbors.

This working document, compiled by the Network of Southern Think Tanks (NeST), proposes a conceptual framework to define, account for, and measure the quality and impact of South-South co-operation (SSC). It seeks to establish a common narrative and methodological approach for Southern partners to track development co-operation independently of the OECD-DAC's Official Development Assistance (ODA) standards.

This 2012 case study examines the operational challenges faced by Aluminium Africa Limited (ALAF), a Tanzania-based aluminium and steel manufacturer. ALAF reports significant barriers to regional trade within the SADC area, including inadequate energy infrastructure (marked by power rationing and cost increases), inefficient border controls and port services in Tanzania, and regulatory uncertainty. The company also highlights difficulties in accessing skilled labour and foreign currency in markets like Malawi. While ALAF has invested in backup power and lobbied via the Confederation of Tanzania Industries, it notes a lack of tangible government action to resolve these systemic constraints.

This report, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA), provides a comprehensive analysis of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). Based on a five-year research project, it examines the processes, governance, and political dynamics of the APRM, focusing on the experiences of five 'pioneer' countries: Ghana, Kenya, Rwanda, Mauritius, and South Africa.

This report by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) examines the business environment in Mozambique through interviews conducted in November 2003 with South African companies. It analyzes the drivers of South African investment, the systemic challenges faced by firms—particularly small and medium enterprises—and the impact of this investment on the Mozambican economy.

This research paper by Elizabeth Sidiropoulos and Ross Herbert examines the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), a voluntary governance assessment tool launched by the African Union in 2002 under the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The authors analyze the APRM's structure, its five-stage review process, and the varying degrees of civil society involvement in early participating countries, while highlighting the critical importance of publishing final reports to ensure government accountability.

This research paper by Professor Ahmed Mohiddin examines the tendency of executive branches to dominate governance structures in Africa. It analyzes the systemic reasons for this dominance, the capacity failures of legislatures and judiciaries, and the role of the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and civil society in establishing effective checks and balances.

This policy briefing by the South African Institute of International Affairs analyzes the political economy of peace in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), arguing that regional peace agreements are shaped by the shifting economic power between the eastern Kivus and the southern Katanga province.

This policy briefing, published by the South African Institute of International Affairs in October 2015, compares the Open Government Partnership (OGP) with other international peer-review mechanisms, including the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM), the UN's Universal Periodic Review (UPR), and the OECD's Anti-Bribery Convention Review (OECDA). It argues that the OGP's flexible, civil-society-led approach offers unique benefits for transparency and governance, and suggests that African nations should seek OGP membership and harmonise it with existing review obligations.

This policy brief provides an overview of local procurement regulations for the mining and petroleum sectors across the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. It distinguishes between demand-side policies, which encourage companies to buy locally, and supply-side policies, which support local supplier capacity. The document highlights a regional trend toward state intervention to create backward linkages from extractive activities to the wider economy, noting that while most SADC countries have some form of local procurement language, the depth of regulation varies significantly, ranging from vague 'best effort obligations' to specific, measurable targets.

This case study, produced by the SADC Secretariat and GIZ, examines the business constraints faced by Rice Milling Company (Pvt.) Limited (RMC), a Malawi-based firm that processes rice, milk powder, and salt for local and regional markets. The document details how government regulations, infrastructure deficiencies, and skill shortages hinder RMC's export capabilities and operational efficiency within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region.

SEforALL's Theory of Change focuses on five outcomes to achieve SDG7: gender mainstreaming, global commitments, policy standards, financial flows, and direct energy connections. Key achievements include securing over USD 600 billion via Energy Compacts, supporting national energy plans in Nigeria and Rwanda, and delivering direct electricity connections to over 3,000 people in Madagascar.

This briefing describes the development and findings of a global Evidence Gap Map (EGM) on sustainable energy, co-funded by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) and 3ie. The EGM systematically screens rigorous evidence on the causal effects of sustainable energy interventions in low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs) to support SDG 7 targets regarding energy access, efficiency, and renewables.

SEforALL partnered with the ICTP to provide technical training on geospatial data management and application to energy planners from nine African countries. The program aimed to address a capacity gap in government planning units to better inform electrification and clean cooking strategies. Participants from Madagascar, Malawi, and Rwanda are currently applying these skills to develop national data governance and clean cooking plans.

This fact sheet by Sustainable Energy for All (SEforALL) outlines various donor-funded financing programs available for renewable energy manufacturing and clean energy innovation, primarily targeting Africa and other developing regions.

This case study describes the Malawi Energy Compact, which aims to provide the entire population of 25 million people with access to climate-friendly, energy-saving, or cleaner cooking solutions by 2030, with a long-term goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

The Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) for Malawi outlines a geospatial strategy to achieve universal electricity access by 2030. The plan identifies a need to grow from 750,000 current household connections to 5.5 million by 2030, utilizing a mix of grid densification, grid expansion, mini-grids, and solar home systems (SHS). The report emphasizes the need for lower-cost rural construction standards and international competitive bidding to reduce the significant financing requirements for the national grid.