Foreword During the founding summit of the regional community in 1980 the member states put it clearly on the agenda:“Southern Africa: Towards Economic Liberation” was the title of the historic SADCC-Declaration, which committed to harmoniously integrate the economies and gradually reduce their foreign dependence – at the time, especially from Apartheid South Africa. Other goals were the promotion of popular welfare, of justice and peace in the region through regional cooperation, which should do the dreams of the pan-African progressive thinkers – Kwame Nkrumah, Julius Nyerere, Amilcar Cabral, omas Sankara, among others, – justice. ere was a strategic vision, that independence is not achieved by overthrowing oppressive and racists colonial governments alone, but by creating the conditions of an autonomous socio-economic and political development. However, roughly 40 years later, the stock taking is rather sobering. Despite considerable economic growth for the last decade, the region is still characterized by tremendous social and structural inequalities, by the lack of quality social services and of regional integration. e liberal shift during the 90s – privatization, trade liberalization – took the states out of the driver’s seat of economic development and did not produce the promised trickle-down e ects. Southern African economies are still highly dependent on commodities, foreign direct investment, and volatile international supply chains. ey are vulnerable to external shocks, produce wealth for the few and much less employment than needed to really turn the tables. e recent impacts of the climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic further exacerbated these trends. ey underline that Southern Africa needs a fresh approach to comprehensive economic transformation. A transformation, which aims at tackling poverty and inequality, which creates an economy, that works in the interest of the majority and allows all people a life in dignity independent from their gender, race, and class. 7