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Regional Summary
From NGOPedia
| What is an NGO? |
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) has been in existence since 1980, when it was formed as a loose alliance of nine majority-ruled states in Southern Africa known as the Southern African Development Coordination Conference (SADCC). Its main aim was to coordinate development projects in order to lessen economic dependence on the then apartheid South Africa.
The founding member states are: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. SADCC was formed in Lusaka, Zambia on 1 April 1980, following the adoption of the Lusaka Declaration - Southern Africa: Towards Economic Liberation.
The transformation of the organisation from a Coordinating Conference into a Development Community (SADC) took place on 17 August 1992 in Windhoek, Namibia, when the Declaration and Treaty was signed at the Summit of Heads of State and Government thereby giving the organisation a legal character.
The Member States are: Angola, Botswana, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, Swaziland, United Republic of Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
The SADC headquarters are located in Gaborone, Botswana.
Country specific information
| Country | Capital | Currency | Official Language | Area (km2) | Population | GDP per capita |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Angola | Luanda | Kwanza | Portuguese | 1,246,700 | 15,941,000 | $ 2,813 |
| Botswana | Gaborone | Pula | English & Setwana | 581,726 | 1,639,833 | $ 11,400 |
| DRC | Kinshasa | Congolese franc | French | 2,344,858 | 63,655,000 | $ 774 |
| Lesotho | Maseru | Loti | South Sotho & English | 30,355 | 1,795,000 | $ 2,113 |
| Madagascar | Antananarivo | Malagasy ariary | Malagasy, French & English | 587,041 | 18,606,000 | $ 905 |
| Malawi | Lilongwe | Malawian kwacha | English & Chichewa | 118,484 | 12,884,000 | $ 596 |
| Mauritius | Port Louis | Mauritian rupee | English admin, French-de facto (in practice) | 2,040 | 1,219,220 | $ 11,125 |
| Mozambique | Maputo | Mozambican metical | Portuguese | 801,590 | 20,366,795 | $ 1,389 |
| Namibia | Windhoek | Namibian dollar | English | 825,418 | 2,031,000 | $ 7,478 |
| Seychelles | Victoria | Seychellois rupee | English, French, Seychellois, Creole | 451 | 80,654 | $ 11,818 |
| South Africa | Pretoria, Bloemfontein, Cape Town | South African rand | Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Northern Sotho, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu | 1,221,037 | 47,432,000 | $ 12,161 |
| Swaziland | Lobamba & Mbabane | Lilangeni | English & Swati | 17,364 | 1,032,000 | $ 5,245 |
| Tanzania | Dar es Salaam & Dodoma | Tanzanian shilling | Swahili & English | 945,087 | 37,849,133 | $ 723 |
| Zambia | Lusaka | Zambian kwacha | English | 752,614 | 11,668,000 | $ 931 |
| Zimbabwe | Harare | Zimbabwean dollar | Shona, Ndebele & English | 390,757 | 13,010,000 | $ 2,607 |
Questions that need to be asked with regards to regional engagement
- Access to internet connectivity: What kind of internet connectivity exists? Is it widely accessible? How much does it cost?
- Banking practice and funds transfer practice: How long do banks take to transfer money? What are the bank charges?
- Telecommunications, road, postal and electricity (power surge protection and different types of supply) infrastructure: It is wise to check on these infrastructural resources as the standards can vary dramatically and can cause programme delays due to a lack of
understanding of local conditions.
Resources and Links
- To check on an NGO’s NPO registration status go to [http:www.npo.gov.za http:www.npo.gov.za] and follow the links
- NGOConnect Africa: A social workspace for NGOs in Africa, where you can directly engage with NGOs online.
- NGOPedia: a wiki knowledge resource for and about NGOs in Africa (where this document resides).
- South African NGO Network website: NGOPulse
- South African NGO Coalition (SANGOCO) website: SANGOCO
- SANGOTech: The SANGOTeCH online technology donation and discount portal is a partnership
between SANGONeT and TechSoup, the San Francisco-based nonprofit technology capacity building organisation, that links technology donations and the South African NGO sector: SANGOTech
- Prodder Directory: South African NGOs & Development directory, available in white paper and online formats (see links at NGOPulse)
- Guide to the Non Profit Act (South Africa)
- The International Centre for Not-for-Profit Law (South African resources link)
- MDG Africa Summary
- MDG Gap Report 2008
- Directory of Development Organisations Resource Guide to development organisations & the internet)
- Non profit expert.com: In strategic partnership with diversified non profit services. The Development Gateway puts the Internet to work for developing countries. It provides innovative Internet solutions for effective aid and e-government – increasing access to critical information, building local capacity and bringing partners together for positive change.
- An academic paper on the question of what is an NGO
- Defining the Non Profit Sector: Ghana
- NGO Research Guide, African NGOs (sorted by country)
- NGO research guide, list of NGO activities
- Directory of African NGOs, Third Edition
- West African NGO Network
- A Toolkit for African NGOs Document 3914_3917
- List of African Countries and dependencies
- NGO Guide: An NGO Training Guide for Peace Corps Volunteers - The Roles of NGOs in Civil Society
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