Abstract:
Industrialisation is vital for developing countries‘ quest for sustainable growth,
development, and transformation. This article examines the SADC region‘s
stated objective of industrialisation and regional integration as an approach
towards achieving industrialisation. This is done through an analysis of
manufacturing activities as a measure of industrialisation, in relation to regional
integration to determine the significance of manufacturing to the development
of member states of the SADC. It examines the increase or decrease in the
region‘s manufacturing sector and its significance to economic growth for the
period 2000-2015. The article is not concerned with SADC‘s advancement visà-vis the stated sequential integration milestones. Instead, it focuses on claims
that manufacturing is significant for integration and a significant contributor to
economic growth. It also uses a mixed-methods design based on secondary sources and an examination of qualitative and quantitative data in an attempt to
understand the transformative impact of regional integration on
industrialisation. The latter has been consistently noted as the key driver of
sustainable growth, development, and transformation, even more so for
developing countries. Forward and backward linkages in the manufacturing
sector and economies of scale give it a slight edge over other sectors insofar as
contributions to development are concerned. This article argues that contrary to
the expectation that regional integration in the SADC would lead to
industrialization, the economies in the region have rather experienced
deindustrialization.
