Knowledge for development: a strategic resource for unrolling SADC’s development plans

To inform development in Southern Africa, the region needs information that is locally produced, analysed and delivered. This background paper considers the concepts of Knowledge for Development (KfD) as it applies to southern Africa, placing it within the context of regional development and cooperation plans currently being rolled out by the Southern African Development Community (SADC).

The paper argues that SADC needs its own regional knowledge centres that will be able to:

• understand the historical context of the region, its development trajectory, cultural, linguistic and other national sensitivities
• provide alternative analyses to those from northern institutions
• produce development statistics and indicators to reduce reliance on data generated by northern institutions, which may lack an understanding of the local contexts
• support monitoring and evaluation of regional development and integration efforts
• make information accessible to practitioners and speakers of local languages; ideally the centre would provide information in the three official languages of SADC

The paper recommends that in order to effectively implement the regional integration and cooperation plans, a partnership involving knowledge institutions and SADC should be strengthened.