/regional-growth

Regional growth for southern Africa’s prosperity

Policy makers face critical decisions regarding a regional economic strategy in southern Africa and this work stream will bring together personnel from Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (TIPS), a South Africa think tank, dti, and UNU-WIDER to support this important agenda through the production of policy-relevant research across four focus areas:

  • South Africa, SADC and beyond
  • South Africa as a regional investor
  • the spatial economy of southern Africa 
  • the political economy of regional growth and
  • strengthening regional value-chain

The improved growth dynamics in Africa in general, and in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in particular, has led to rapid growth in regional trade combined with an improved political and economic environment within the region. So far regional integration has mainly involved the ‘easy’ first stage toward integration — exchange of market access — and several major issues have surfaced with respect to the regional integration agenda, for example; broad-based policy steps needed to deepen regional integration have slowed considerably, and a notable incoherence between national policies and the regional integration agenda.

The strong linkages with regional research institutions developed during the ‘Regional Growth and Development in Southern Africa’ programme, and UNU-WIDER’s existing in-country engagements with governments throughout the region, will offer the opportunity to structure policy engagements focused on the results of the research undertaken within this work stream. The nature of this regional work stream and its network of regional research institutions offers substantial scope for capacity-building, including transfer of accumulated expertise to a range of countries in the SADC region through collaboration with new research partners.

Blog
Anthony Black, Lawrence Edwards, Ruth Gorven, and Willard Mapulanga
Regional integration in Africa is underway but progress requires that the gains are widely spread. South Africa’s huge regional trade surplus in manufactured goods is leading to protectionist pressures in neighbouring countries. Agro-processing is a...
21 September 2022
Regional growth
Report
Sarah Truen
After the South African democratic transition, substantial advances were made in the provision of water services to households which had previously not been supplied. However, more recently, the pace of progress has slowed, and technical...
July 2022
Inequality
Regional growth
News
SA-TIED
To showcase key lessons from SA-TIED phase I, the programme produced a series of eight videos that feature the major accomplishments from each of the six work streams and the data lab. Watch all eight...
February 2022
Enterprise development
Public revenue
Macro modelling
Inequality
Climate and energy
Regional growth
In the media
SA-TIED
Last Thursday the Minister of Finance, Enoch Godongwana, emphasized the importance of data and evidence-based research in implementing economic policy in South Africa. The Minister was speaking at an online event co-hosted by Business Day...
February 2022
Enterprise development
Public revenue
Macro modelling
Inequality
Climate and energy
Regional growth
Report
SA-TIED
This report is a summary of the SA-TIED programme’s major research contributions to the policy environment. These contributions are not policy proposals, but are meant to inform the policymaking process and fill important gaps in...
January 2022
Enterprise development
Public revenue
Macro modelling
Inequality
Climate and energy
Regional growth
Policy dialogue
27 Jan 2022 / 09:00 to 10:00
Enterprise development
Public revenue
Macro modelling
Inequality
Climate and energy
Regional growth
On 27 January, the Southern Africa – Towards Inclusive Economic Development (SA-TIED) programme, in partnership with the Business Day Dialogues, will host an online discussion with South Africa’s Finance Minister and experts from the SA-TIED...
Working paper
Neva Makgetla
The COVID-19 pandemic has had severe economic consequences in Southern Africa, resulting in an unprecedented decline in production and employment. Similar policy responses have emerged across the region, centred on temporary and inadequate relief for...
September 2021
Regional growth
Working paper
Kudzai Mataba and Faizel Ismail
COVID-19 has created a trade crisis in Southern Africa, with a dramatic slowdown in cross-border trade. The crisis, which exposed weaknesses and deficiencies in the trade facilitation regimes, presents an opportunity for the African Continental...
July 2021
Regional growth