Southern Africa: A profile of Southern Africa

Southern Africa represents a "matrix of competing interests and contending difficulties", says an analysis commissioned by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation from the Human Sciences Research Council's Integrated Rural and Regional Development research programme and available on the Southern African Regional Poverty Network website. "Nonetheless, it is one of the more robust regions on the continent, with increased movement toward a free trade area and democratic practice. Many donors and nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) alike estimate that southern Africa’s reasonably well-developed infrastructure and diverse natural resource base have the potential to lead the rest of Africa towards a more prosperous 21st century."