The political economy of the Namibe corridor
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Date
2004
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Abstract
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) came into being after the Declaration and the Treaty to establish it was signed at the summit of Heads of States or Government on July 17, 1992, in Windhoek, Namibia. SADC replaced the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC), that had been in existence since 1980.
At SADC's inception transport was seen as the most important area to be developed, on the grounds that, as the founding Lusaka Declaration of April 1, 1980 noted, without the establishment of an adequate regional transport and communication system, other areas of co-operation become impractical. Priority was to be given to the improvement of road and railway services into Mozambique, so that the landlocked countries of the region could transport their goods through Mozambican ports instead of South African ones. The principal objectives of SADCC were to reduce Member states' dependence, particularly on apartheid South Africa, to mobilize Member states' resources, in the quest for collective self-reliance, and to secure international understanding and support. This thesis deals with the political economy and potential development of the Namibe Corridor.
The Namibe Corridor will link Lubango, Matala, Cassinga, Chamutete, Ondjiva and Santa Clara in Angola, and Oshikango, Ondangwa, Tsumeb and Otjiwarongo to Walvis Bay in Namibia. The corridor encompasses the port facilities in the ports of Namibe, Tombua and Walvis Bay. This is expected to usher in a new era of east-north economic integration, while also consolidating SADC's vision of a free trade area. The Republic of Namibia and that of Angola formally agreed to the creation of this important corridor on 17 May 1997(www.wbcg.com.na:2003).
The completion of this corridor will be a milestone in south-south and regional co-operation, thereby attracting foreign investments and promotion of trade. It will provide for the West Coast that SADCC had attempted on the East Coast.
Description
A dissertation submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts (Political Studies)
Keywords
Southern African Development Community, Lusaka declaration, The Namibe corridor, Lubango, Matala, Cassinga, Ports of Namibe