n Law, Democracy & Development - The Investor-State Dispute Resolution Forum under the SADC Protocol on Finance and Investment : challenges and opportunities for effective harmonisation

Abstract

Regional integration measures are largely seen as a vehicle for development. The African regional integration project has been in existence for decades, with the African Union (AU) seen as the primary driver of continental integration. Together with seven other sub-regional institutions, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) is regarded as a "building block" of regional integration in Africa. The expectation is that these eight regional economic communities (RECs) will eventually harmonise all their structures and policies under the banner of the AU, and then achieve continental integration in Africa.