n Journal of Public Administration - Editorial

Abstract

The establishment of the African Union (AU) during July 2002 emphasized the importance of supra-national bodies in co-ordinating the developmental efforts of member states in an African context. The establishment of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) in 1992 could be considered as an important development in Southern Africa to obtain co-operation in a sub-continental context which could even be considered to be a prerequisite for the successful operation of the AU. SADC has already proven that states with widely divergent physical, economic, political and social characteristics could co-operate successfully. SADC has also illustrated that members could assist one another in finding solutions for internal challenges.