SADCC

The Southern African Development Coordination Conference, commonly known as SADCC, was an intergovernmental organization established in 1980 in Salisbury, Southern Rhodesia (now Harare, Zimbabwe). Its primary objective was to promote economic development and cooperation among member states in Southern Africa. SADCC was founded by nine frontline states, including Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. The organization aimed to reduce their dependence on apartheid South Africa and foster regional integration.

SADCC focused on coordinating national development plans in various sectors such as transport and communications, agriculture, industry, and energy. It sought to mobilize resources from international donors and financial institutions to support these projects. While SADCC achieved some successes in fostering cooperation and raising awareness of regional issues, it faced challenges due to internal conflicts, economic disparities among member states, and the ongoing economic dominance of South Africa.

In 1992, SADCC transitioned into the Southern African Development Community (SADC), which aimed for deeper economic integration, including the establishment of a free trade area and eventually a common market. The evolution from SADCC to SADC reflected a shift from a focus on coordination and dependence reduction to a more ambitious agenda of regional integration and economic liberalization. SADCC played a crucial role in laying the groundwork for subsequent regional cooperation efforts in Southern Africa.