Local Economic Development as an Alternative Development Strategy in Southern African Cities

Abstract

Local Economic Development (LED) has attracted global recognition as a response to local challenges such as imbalanced economic growth, intra-regional investment, lack of trade diversification, domestic infrastructure constraints, financial inclusion, labour shortage, and political–economic constraints. In light of the recent global development initiatives, including the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals, the need to stimulate economic growth in contemporary societies such as the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region cannot be overestimated. As such, LED backing is constantly on the development agenda. The LED practice within the SADC is informed by the Regional Indicative Strategic Development Plan 2015–2020. This plan aims to enhance economic collaboration in the region in order to address the existing socio-economic development imperatives and has paved the way for several LED alternatives in order to promote socio-economic development within the African cities in the region. These initiatives include the SADC- Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA)-East African Community (EAC) Free Trade Area, African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), SADC Industrialisation Strategy and Roadmap, and African Development Bank (AfDB). The paradigmatic shift in LED approaches at a regional level confer a prominent role within African cities.