Southern African Economic Area

The objectives of the subject “Southern African Economic Area” are the following:

1. To define the economic characteristics of the Southern African Economic Area
2. To know the economic profile of the Southern African Countries
3. To understand the influence of Christianity and the African Traditional Religions on the Southern African Economic Area
4. To understand the economic integration process in the Southern African Economic Area
5. To analyse the main businesspeople
6. To explore the economic relationships with the others economic areas of other civilisations
7. To analyse the main economic organisations related to the Southern African Economic Area

Description: Southern African Economic Area

The Southern African Economic Area consists of seven countries: Botswana, Eswatini (Swaziland), Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

1. English is the main language in the Southern African region besides local languages
2. The largest economic engine of Southern Africa is South Africa, the second African Economy
3. The main religions in Southern Africa are Christianity and the African Traditional Religions
4. The largest ports in Southern Africa are the Port of Durban and Port of Walvis Bay
5. Trans-African corridors across Southern Africa are Cairo-Gaborone Corridor, Tripoli-Windhoek Corridor, Lobito Corridor, Beira-Lobito Corridor, and North-South Corridor, Asia-Africa Growth Corridor

Personalities and Businesspeople of Southern Africa: Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Patrice Motsepe, Bridgette Radebe, Irene Charnley, Sifiso Dabengwa, Wendy Appelbaum, Monica Katebe Musonda, Strive Masiyiwa, Cyril Ramaphosa, Cheryl Carolus, Rapelang Rabana, and Divine Ndhlukula

In Southern Africa there are several Regional Economic Communities:

1. All the Southern African Countries belong to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and therefore are members of the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Agreement (Tripartite Agreement)
2. Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Eswatini (Swaziland) are members of the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
3. Eswatini (Swaziland), Zambia, and Zimbabwe are members of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)
4. Zimbabwe and South Africa have a trade agreement
5. Zambia is a member of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region

Tripartite member countries

All the Southern African Countries are members of the African Development Bank, African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), African Union (UA), and Economic Commission for Africa (CEA).

Interactions of the Southern African Economic Area with the other civilisations

1. Lesotho and Zambia are beneficiaries of the Generalised System of Preferences (SPG) of the EU
2. The European Union has free trade agreements with South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
3. Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, Eswatini (Swaziland), Zambia, and Zimbabwe are members of the Africa-European Union Strategic Partnership of the European Union (EU)
4. The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) has a trade agreement with the Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
5. All the Southern African Countries, except Zimbabwe, are beneficiaries of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) of the United States
6. The MERCOSUR has a trade agreement with the Southern African Development Community (SADC)
7. South Africa is a member of the Indian-Ocean Rim Association (IORA)
8. India has an agreement with the Southern African Customs Union
9. The COMESA Countries are members of the COMESA-United States Trade and Investment Framework Agreement
10. All the Southern African Countries are beneficiaries of the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), Afro-Arab Cooperation, Summit of South American-Arab Countries (ASPA), Africa-Turkey Partnership, and the Asia-Middle East Dialogue (AMED)

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