In Africa today issues of how to develop the continent to bring about meaningful development have been underway since the 1960’s. Different debates on what is to be the engine for development have emerged in various part of the continent. The 1990’s can be described as the era that ushered a major global development paradigm with increasing focus on people’s welfare, poverty alleviation, the access to information and technology, economic and regional integration and the environment. Increasingly, African leaders and the donor community recognize that regional cooperation and integration can help bring Africa into the global economy. African countries recognize that purely national programmes will not achieve the growth rates needed to combat poverty, hence the need for international programmes. African states are now more then ever starting to look amongst themselves for the desired developments. This ultimately inspired the establishment of NEPAD.
This paper seeks to demonstrate the efforts of four National Departments in South Africa (Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Trade and Investment, Department of Public Service and Administration and the Department of Defence), in support of NEPAD. It will first take into account the World initiatives, contributions of regional bodies like the European Union (EU) and the Africa’s issues and processes that led to the formation of NEPAD, among others the OAU and the AU. It also highlights the role of NEPAD and how it is to be implemented in the departments.
During my Research it has been established that research has been carried out on regional integration covering various aspects like market access, peace and development among others. What has been overlooked is the fact that regional integration cannot succeed unless member states cooperate effectively. The Problem statement stems from the need to gather information on the extent to which the particular four National Departments in South Africa are supporting the NEPAD initiative.
The paper further attempts to explore the strategies and mechanisms that are being put in place to support it. In the end this book attempts to make suggestions as to how integration can be improved and how NEPAD can better contribute to sustainable development in Africa.