| dc.description.abstract | In 1986 the member states of the then Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADC) and the five Nordic countries signed a joint declaration on expanded economic and cultural cooperation, referred to as the Nordic/SADC Initiative. This region-to-region collaborative venture was later prolonged through 1995, but the tangible results were meagre. Moreover, these ten years saw major changes in terms of the political and economic environment of both regions. Hence, it was time to reassess the Initiative with a view to finding alternative frameworks for continued collaboration. The report discusses the achievements and setbacks, and presents options for the future. It is recommended that the Initiative be scaled down to manageable levels by concentrating on three areas of cooperation: (a) business cooperation in trade and investment; (b) cultural collaboration; and (c) political dialogue. It is also recommended that the administrative mechanisms be rationalised and streamlined.
Keith Atkinson is a consultant with Imani Development Ltd. (Pvt.) based in Hamre,
Zimbabwe
Arne Tostensen is a senior research fellow with the Chr. Michelsen Institute, Bergen, Norway | |
