Challenges Of Regional Economic Integration In Southern Africa

Regional integration in Southern African has been fostered by concept of mutual development,creation of a peaceful diplomacy,economic stimulation and access to the international market.The Shire-Zambezi shared watercourses are positioned to be a development catalyst in the region.The shared watercourses provide landlocked Malawi and Zambia,an outlet to the Indian Ocean through Mozambique.The Nsanje World Inland Port was constructed to help establish a smooth and direct transit for goods in the region.When in operation,the inland port will directly transit goods from the inland port through the shared watercourse and onto the world market.This transportation network would significantly reduce transit costs for Malawi and Zambia by 55%.It would relieve use,and reduce cost of maintaining road and rail networks,while providing the governments of Malawi,Mozambique and Zambia the opportunity,through SADC to coordinate and achieve regional development targets.Despite a ten year delay in the use and operation of the Shire-Zambezi Waterways/Nsanje World Inland Port project,the three governments claim to be in talks on the way forward for the project.SADC,however,has maintained its member States sovereignty in spite of the principles asserted in its Protocol for Shared Watercourses.In addition,SADC's Tribunal has been suspended since 2010,rendering the organization ineffective for providing resolutions to countries facing challenges in integration and transboundary cooperation.This study's methodology employed a qualitative study approach.The qualitative approach is applicable in this study because it analyses the processes of communication,cooperation and challenges faced between the Malawi and Mozambique governments,and attempts to find ideas of how to support SADC in generating incentives for greater commitment to offset asymmetrical regional cooperation agreements.The findings of this study show an asymmetric cooperation dynamic between Malawi and Mozambique in the region.Whereas the Malawian based inland port has been abandoned,the government of Mozambique continues to rally the support of the governments in SADC,in a bid to establish its transport networks.It is obvious that the Mozambican government has a larger capacity to initiate and ganer support for regional integration projects than its neighbors Malawi and Zambia,leaving them disenfranchised.A feasibility study conducted for Shire-Zambezi waterway/Nsanje World Inland Port project funded by African Development Bank,showed that climate change,heavy silt deposits in the shared watercourses,and the need conserve marine ecosystems,has hindered the smooth process of utilizing the shared watercourses and operation of the Shire-Zambezi Waterways/Nsanje World Inland Port.In addition,this study found that language barrier,political will and conflicting infrastructure development interest,conflicting national interests,the influence of national politics,the low returns of the project and a limited private sector has delayed the progress in operating the waterways/inland port project.This study hence recommends that the government of Malawi modifies the design of the water based port into a dry port.The modified design will ensure that road and rail services currently available in the region are further developed and maintained.A modified design of the inland port will also aide further favourable talks on the utilization of the Shire-Zambezi shared watercourses with the government of Mozambique.This study also recommends that SADC creates an advisory organ that will ensure a checks and balance process is followed,preventing poor but over ambitious countries like Malawi,from implementing regional projects at a national level.It is imperative that SADC has an organ in its structure that is able to hold governments accountable for their roles in failed regional projects,and helps such governments to modify their approach.In summary,the findings of this study have raised practical and theoretical implications about dynamics between bilateral and regional agreements in the Southern African region,and as to why Malawi,Mozambique and Zambia are yet to integrate in the utilization and operation of the Shire-Zambezi Waterways/Nsanje World Inland Port.