Boko Calls for Stronger SADC Cooperation to Build Regional Industrial Economy

Boko Calls for Stronger SADC Cooperation to Build Regional Industrial Economy. Botswana President Duma Boko has called on Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states to strengthen regional cooperation and move away from pursuing economic development independently.

Boko said meaningful economic transformation would require countries to work together and build on their respective strengths as part of a broader regional industrial economy.

Speaking on regional integration, Boko said SADC’s industrialisation and regional integration agenda, established in 2015, now requires stronger implementation and practical cooperation between member states.

“One of the biggest downfalls is the tendency to try and go it alone,” Boko said, arguing that countries should pursue development collectively.

He said SADC countries should identify their comparative advantages and use them to contribute to regional value chains, rather than attempting to develop every capability independently.

Cross-border trade corridors were highlighted as an important part of this approach. According to Boko, improved infrastructure and connectivity could facilitate the movement of goods, services and resources across the region.

He also pointed to water security as an area for regional cooperation, citing plans to move water more than 700 kilometres into Botswana through South Africa from water-rich areas.

Boko further highlighted infrastructure corridors involving Botswana and neighbouring countries, including the Mmamabula-Lephalale corridor between Botswana and South Africa and the Mosetse-Kazungula-Livingstone corridor linking Botswana and Zambia and extending towards the Democratic Republic of Congo.

He said developing such corridors would be important for unlocking regional economic opportunities, particularly in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

Boko also argued that Africa has significant potential to increase trade within the continent, pointing to its population of approximately 1.5 billion people.

He said the continent should move beyond primarily serving as a market for products manufactured elsewhere and develop stronger production capabilities of its own.