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This report details a study based on interviews with approximately 50 companies to identify trade barriers within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. It highlights a divide in perceived constraints between Southern African Customs Union (SACU) members and non-member states, emphasizing that while large-scale infrastructure projects are necessary, smaller regulatory and bureaucratic interventions are critical for fostering business growth, particularly for small-scale entrepreneurs.

This case study details the operational challenges faced by DHL in the SADC region, focusing on border inefficiencies, corruption, infrastructure deficits, and bureaucratic hurdles that impede the rapid delivery of packages.

This case study examines the operational challenges faced by Rice Milling Company (Pvt.) Limited (RMC), a company that processes and exports rice and other food products from Malawi. It details barriers related to government pricing regulations, bureaucratic export permits, infrastructure inefficiencies, and a lack of technical skills in the local labor market.

This case study examines the operational challenges faced by Palfridge Limited, a manufacturer of camping, domestic, commercial, and solar refrigerators. The company struggles with customs inefficiencies at the border between South Africa and Swaziland, high electricity costs and instability, trade policy barriers regarding EU imports and Zimbabwean exports, and the loss of skilled local labor to the South African market.

This case study examines Nakara, a Namibian leather manufacturing company founded in 1980, detailing its operational structure, export markets, and the systemic regulatory and financial barriers it faces when trading with South Africa and other regions.

This research paper analyzes South Africa's voting patterns and foreign policy achievements during its first (2007-2008) and second (2011-2012) terms as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The author assesses the country's progress toward its 'African Agenda,' including goals of South-South and North-South cooperation and the pursuit of permanent African representation on the Council.

This research paper analyzes South Africa's voting patterns and foreign policy achievements during its first (2007-2008) and second (2011-2012) terms as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council (UNSC). The author finds that South Africa has become more confident, increasing its co-sponsorship of resolutions and successfully promoting its 'African Agenda,' particularly regarding cooperation between the UNSC and the African Union (AU).

This research paper examines the livelihood-centred approach to disaster risk reduction (DRR) in Zimbabwe, focusing on how climate change and other pressures undermine traditional coping strategies for the poor.

This seminar report, compiled by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) and the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), documents a March 2012 meeting in Kampala, Uganda. The event brought together 44 delegates to discuss the governance of Africa's natural resources, focusing on oil, mining, and renewable resources (land, forestry, and fisheries). The report highlights the tension between the potential for wealth generation and the risks of corruption, conflict, and 'elite capture', while emphasizing the need for transparency, local community inclusion, and African-led research and policy solutions.

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This report evaluates climate change adaptation preparedness in southern Africa, specifically focusing on a desk study of Zimbabwe's current state of knowledge and policy framework.

This research paper examines the institutional architecture for climate change mitigation and response in Zimbabwe, noting a lack of centralized policy despite existing legislation and active government initiatives.

This briefing, produced by the South African Institute of International Affairs with support from the International Trade Centre, outlines private sector perspectives on the implementation of the SADC Free Trade Area (FTA). It identifies significant barriers to regional trade, including restrictive rules of origin, non-tariff barriers, and the complexities of overlapping membership in multiple regional economic communities.

This policy brief by the South African Institute of International Affairs examines the failure of the Kimberley Process (KP) to address human rights abuses and smuggling in Zimbabwe's Marange diamond fields. It argues that the KP's narrow definition of 'conflict diamonds'—which only covers rebel groups—is inadequate when abuses are perpetrated by state security forces. The authors call for a reform of the KP's definitions and monitoring mechanisms to include government accountability.

This policy briefing examines the proposed Tripartite Free Trade Area (FTA) involving 26 member states from COMESA, EAC, and SADC, focusing specifically on the challenges and prospects of liberalising the services sector and the movement of business persons.

This report, produced by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) in collaboration with the SADC Secretariat and GIZ, identifies the primary business and investment constraints within the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region. By analyzing multiple business climate surveys, indices, and the SADC Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan (RISDP), the study establishes a list of the top ten barriers to investment and development to facilitate public-private dialogue and the creation of practical policy solutions.

This report, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2012, synthesizes the findings of the IPCC's SREX report specifically for African policymakers. It examines the interaction between climate extremes, human vulnerability, and disaster risk management (DRM), emphasizing that disaster risks in Africa are increasing due to both climate change and socio-economic factors such as rapid urbanization and poor governance. The document provides regional observations and projections for temperature and precipitation extremes across Africa and advocates for the integration of DRM and climate change adaptation into national development planning to build long-term resilience.

This 2012 report synthesizes the IPCC SREX findings for Africa, highlighting that disaster risk is increasing due to higher exposure of vulnerable populations. It details observed and projected increases in temperature and dryness across various sub-regions, warns that current extremes will become the 'new normal' by 2100, and emphasizes the high vulnerability of the agricultural sector and coastal cities. The document advocates for a shift from reactive to proactive, transformational disaster risk management that integrates local knowledge, high-level political leadership, and international financial support.

This briefing, published by the Climate and Development Knowledge Network in 2012, synthesises findings from the IPCC SREX report specifically for the health sector. It examines how climate extremes—such as heatwaves, floods, and droughts—interact with human vulnerability and exposure to create disaster risks, and provides a framework for health policy-makers to integrate disaster risk management (DRM) with climate change adaptation (CCA).

This report documents the 5th African Conference of Commandants (ACoC), held from 28–30 November 2011 in Gaborone, Botswana. The conference brought together commandants from African Staff Colleges to discuss the impact of globalisation on human rights, the proliferation of small arms, gender equality in the military, and the standardisation of military education to support the African Standby Force (ASF) and peace support operations (PSOs).