Author(s): Daniel Chigudu
Economic integration is critical for the Southern African Development Community’s (SADC) agenda for development as it is a driver to guarantee regional inclusive growth. There has been a host of regional and national initiatives directed at addressing challenges militating against stronger regional integration even though intra-regional trade as well as investment have been affected adversely in recent years. This study seeks to explore how SADC can foster regional integration and circumvent challenges before it predicated on the hermeneutic phenomenological approach and content analysis. The study reveals that to establish itself effectively as a sustainable hub for investment, the region should prioritise the harmonisation and coordination of all industrialisation efforts and regulatory frameworks. The level of a continental trend towards improved collaboration could be a possibility for achieving economic integration. But what is questionable is the desired enthusiasm for cooperation among the regional economic members and SADC as an institution alone.