Author Date

2026-06-15

Degree Name

Department

Global Supply Chain Management

College

Marriott School of Business

Defense Date

2026-04-22

Publication Date

2026-06-15

First Faculty Advisor

Simon Greathead, Ph.D

Second Faculty Advisor

Gregory Webb, Ph.D

Honors Coordinator

Mark Hansen, Ph.D

Keywords

SADC, EU, Integration, Africa, Economic Growth

Abstract

This thesis examines whether the European Union’s experience with regional integration can serve as a useful guide for strengthening the Southern African Development Community (SADC). While the EU is often viewed as one of the most successful models of regional cooperation, this paper argues that it should not be treated as a direct template for Southern Africa. Instead, the EU offers lessons that must be adapted to SADC’s political, economic, and institutional realities. Through comparative analysis, the thesis explores how the EU developed stronger supranational institutions, enforceable legal mechanisms, shared market rules, and funding structures that supported deeper integration among member states. It then contrasts these features with SADC’s more intergovernmental structure, limited enforcement capacity, uneven economic development, infrastructure constraints, and lower levels of intra-regional trade.

The paper finds that SADC’s integration challenges are not caused by a lack of regional ambition, but by gaps between policy commitments and implementation. For SADC to move toward more effective regional integration, reforms must focus on strengthening institutions, improving compliance mechanisms, harmonizing customs and trade procedures, expanding infrastructure, and linking regional development goals to poverty and inequality reduction. The thesis concludes that the EU is not a perfect blueprint for SADC because the two regions differ significantly in history, governance, economic capacity, and political context. However, the EU remains a valuable guide for understanding how gradual integration, institutional credibility, political commitment, and shared development mechanisms can help regional blocs move from cooperation to deeper economic integration.