Challenges and Prospects for Regional Integration Strategies in Southern Africa realised that different approaches to regional integration are possible, the SADC member states believe that economic integration in southern Africa should follow the development integration approach, with the emphasis on promoting investment, production and market integration. This implies that the creation of a larger eco­nomic space with freer movement of capital, goods and labour must be accompanied by efforts to strengthen the production base in member states. SADC, in many respects, is fortunate to be able to draw on the solid foundation created by SADCC. Infrastructure development projects undertaken by SADCC have contributed to a large extent to overcoming a number of significant constraints to regional development. In addition, member states have learnt to effectively work together in such areas as transport and communications, agricultural research, food security and energy. These long years of working together have helped to forge a strong sense of regional identity and common belonging, which, to a large extent, has made southern Africa a unique region of peace and stability. Now the quest for democracy and popular participation in the management of public affairs is en­trenched and spreading fast and wide. The countries of southern Africa have adopted a framework of cooperation based on ­• deeper economic cooperation and integration, on the basis of balance, equity and mutual benefit, providing for enhanced investment and trade, and freer move­ment of factors of production, goods and services across national borders; • common economic, political, social values and systems, enhancing enterprise and competitiveness, democracy and good governance, respect for the rule of law and the guarantee of human rights, popular participation and the alleviation of poverty; and • regional solidarity, peace and security, in order for the people of the region to live and work together in peace and harmony. In view of the above, there is, therefore, a critical need to develop among all the countries and peoples of southern Africa, a vision of a shared future within a re­gional community. While it is true that regional integration has a potentially impor­tant contribution to make to growth and development, it is equally true that many African integration schemes in the past were conspicuous failures. There is a need, therefore, to draw useful lessons from the earlier experiences to avoid repeating the same mistakes. At present, the most critical factor in the economics of integration within SADC is that tangible benefits accrue to all participating countries. This is the real challenge for SADC, especially in view of the SADC Treaty calling for economic cooperation and integration to be based on the principles of equity, bal­ance and mutual benefit. It is well known that SADC member states are quite diverse in terms of their size, population, GDP per capita, resource endowment and level of development. It is, 91