John Donne wrote that “No man is an island entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main.” The same is true of countries: no economy can develop in isolation from its neighbours.

For SA, the Southern African Development Communiuty (Sadc) is a critical source of demand for exports of manufactures and services. Moreover, experiences in other parts of the world, and especially fast-growing East Asia, point to the importance of regional partnerships for investments — from industry to energy and international logistics...