REGIONAL INDIC ATIVE STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT PL AN imperative for a large regional market to be established so that they too could benefit from economies of scale. 3 Since its inception, SADC has inculcated a sense of regional belonging as well as a tradition of consultation At their meeting in Windhoek in August 1992, the among the peoples and governments of Southern Africa, Heads of State and Government signed a Treaty which, among other things, has improved regional transforming the "SADCC" from a coordination confer- security. It has also formulated the SPA, which covers ence into SADC, the Community -- and redefined the basis cooperation in several economic and social sectors; and of cooperation among Member States from a loose implemented several infrastructure and other projects. association into a legally binding arrangement. The Furthermore, SADC has developed protocols in a number purpose of transforming SADCC into SADC was to of areas of co-operation, which provide the legal promote deeper economic cooperation and integration to framework for co-operation among Member States. help address many of the factors that make it difficult to sustain economic growth and While SADC has recorded some remarkable achieve- socio-economic ments, difficulties and constraints have also been development, such as continued dependence on the encountered. These include lack of institutional reforms exports of a few primary commodities. It had become an for effective transformation from SADCC into SADC; lack urgent necessity for SADC governments to urgently of synergy between the objectives of the Treaty on the one transform and restructure their economies. The small size hand and the existing SADC SPA and institutional of their individual markets, the inadequate socio- framework on the other, and finally lack of appropriate economic infrastructure and the high per capita cost of mechanisms capable of translating the high degree of providing this infrastructure as well as their low-income political commitment into concrete programmes of base made it difficult for them individually to attract or community building and integration. maintain the necessary investments for their sustained development. In order to address these and other institutional problems, the Heads of State and Government approved Accordingly, SADC opted for a development inte- the restructuring of SADC institutions at their gration approach which recognises the political and Extraordinary Summit held in March 2001, in Windhoek. economic diversities of regional integrating countries Under restructuring, the twenty-one sectors have been including their diverse production structures, trade grouped into clusters under four Directorates at the SADC patterns, resource endowments, development priorities, Secretariat. At the national level, SADC National institutional allocation Committees will co-ordinate their respective individual mechanisms. It addresses many of the production, Member State interests relating to SADC. At the regional infrastructure and efficiency barriers arising from the level, an Integrated Committee of Ministers (ICM) has under-development of the region. This approach also has been created to co-ordinate the work of different clusters. the advantage of complementing trade liberalisation with The new structure also includes the Troika system and the sustainable corrective measures, designed to cushion the Organ on Politics, Defence and Security. affiliations and resource least developed member countries against shocks arising The objective of the restructuring was to increase the from the removal of trade barriers. It further allows efficiency and effectiveness of SADC policies and pro- Member States to define the scope and sectors of grammes and to implement a more coherent and better co- cooperation and to identify appropriate strategies and ordinated strategy to eliminate poverty in the Region. To mechanisms to overcome impediments to integration and underpin the restructuring of SADC institutions and pro- to address regional imbalances between Member States. vide a clear orientation for the policies and programmes of In the 1990s, the membership of the organization the organisation over the medium to long-term, the Extra- increased to 14 with the accession of Namibia in 1990, ordinary Summit also approved that the Secretariat South Africa in 1994, Mauritius in 1995, and Seychelles prepare a Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan and the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997. (RISDP) guided by the vision of SADC.