Costed Action Plan for SADC Industrialization Strategy and Roadmap
6. Country Risk
Producers are reluctant to locate value chain operations in high-risk
environments because the entire chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
7. Dependence and Vulnerability
Policymakers seek to minimize risks arising from dependence on foreign
suppliers, as in the food and electricity supply sectors as well as risks from
environmental factors related to climate change such as floods, cyclones and
drought, particularly for climate sensitive value chains.
Following the
catastrophic nuclear accident at Fukushima in Japan, which seriously disrupted
industrial production and value chains in Japan and abroad, multinational
enterprises have become more risk averse, as a result of which there is a new
preference for shorter and geographically proximate value chain partners.
3.5
Regional Value Chain Potential in SADC
The Action Plan is not designed to prescribe value chains for Member States to
prioritize and promote, but highlights value chains with demonstrable potential to
deepen regional integration by boosting intra-regional trade and cross-border
investment flows.
Drawing on national reports by country experts, industrial reports, case and sector
studies the section, a brief survey of existing value chains that have the potential to
deepen regional and global participation that could be promoted by SADC governments
acting under the umbrella of the regional authority or in bilateral or multilateral cooperation with other Member States was undertaken.
Six main value chain clusters are identified. These are:
(i) Agro-processing
(ii) Minerals Beneficiation and related mining operations
(iii) Pharmaceuticals
(iv) Consumer goods
(v) Capital Goods
(vi) Services
Specific sectors and the SADC countries that can potentially participate in each value
chain have been identified by Member States. The central question however is not the
focusing on the product or sector per se, but rather understanding the full value-chain
and what is required to take advantage of opportunities to add value and migrate to new
activities along the value chain.
33