Migration, Cross-Border Trade and Development in Africa: Exploring the Role of Non-state Actors in the SADC Region

231 Pages·2017·2.51 MB·English

by  Christopher Changwe Nshimbi

PALGRAVE STUDIES OF
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS IN AFRICA
MIGRATION, CROSS-BORDER TRADE
AND DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA
Exploring the Role of Non-State Actors
in the SADC Region
EDITED BY
CHRISTOPHER CHANGWE NSHIMBI
INOCENT MOYO
Palgrave Studies of Sustainable Business in Africa
Series editor
Allam Ahmed
University of Sussex
Brighton
UK
In partnership with the World Association for Sustainable Development
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Providing new methodologies through which goods and services are
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opment of African businesses. Adopting and adapting western business
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how the future of African business and management should be shaped
in order to better address the needs of African business development
both now, and for future generations.
More information about this series at
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Christopher Changwe Nshimbi
Inocent Moyo
Editors
Migration, Cross-
Border Trade and
Development in
Africa
Exploring the Role of Non-State
Actors in the SADC Region
Editors
Christopher Changwe Nshimbi Inocent Moyo
Centre for the Study of Governance Department of Geography
Innovation (GovInn), Department of University of Zululand
Political Sciences KwaDlangezwa, South Africa
University of Pretoria
Pretoria, South Africa
Palgrave Studies of Sustainable Business in Africa
ISBN 978-3-319-55398-6 ISBN 978-3-319-55399-3 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-55399-3
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017937506
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To all migrants and cross-border traders,
whose resilience under difficult circumstances
is not only worth celebrating but also legendary.
Foreword
Migration has become one of the defining features of the twenty-first
century. Although mobility across territories has always been part of
human history, contemporary cross-border movements are affected by
a convergence of causes and a variety of features that make them unique
in many respects. Whether because of climate pressures, conflict or eco-
nomic hardship, the millions of people on the move around the world
are profoundly reshaping political, economic and social systems not
only in the countries of origin, but also in those of transit and desti-
nation. For different reasons, human migration is affecting the world
order.
This book provides a critical contribution to an under-studied
topic by focusing on Southern Africa, where migration is mostly
happening informally and undocumented, and by adopting the lens of
non-state actors. Unlike mainstream accounts, this collection, edited by
Christopher Nshimbi and Inocent Moyo, focuses on the people them-
selves: the informal traders regularly travelling across continents to
exchange those goods and services that make up the bulk of Africa’s bur-
geoning informal economy. While the academic literature has generally
focused on trade as a top-down phenomenon, involving companies and
vii
viii Foreword
state regulations, this set of studies changes the perspective altogether,
discussing the strengths and weaknesses, the opportunities and threats
of informal economic exchanges dominated by small businesses, mostly
through informal networks. It is a real breath of fresh air in a sector
dominated by crude statistics about imports and exports.
Ultimately, a book about people and their coping strategies is a book
about development. A book with a different approach to development,
however, which does not put economic growth or market expansion at
the core, but rather human conditions and dynamics. Regional integra-
tion has too often been studied as a purely technical phenomenon, with
little interest in the individual stories, the disruptions and risks posed by
interactions as well as the distribution of resources and income therein.
By focusing on the reality of people on the ground, this book really
makes an important contribution to the humanization of social sciences
and the study of economic integration. A critical feature of Africa’s poli-
tics, which can help scholars and practitioners understand the complex-
ity of migration and regionalism in other parts of the world.
January 2017 Lorenzo Fioramonti
Professor of Political Economy and Director
of the Centre for the Study of Governance
Innovation (GovInn), University of Pretoria
UNESCO-UNU Chair in Regional Integration
Migration and Free Movement of People.
Pretoria, South Africa
Acknowledgements
This book arose from a workshop that was part of Governance
Innovation Week, which was held from 1st to 5th June 2015, and
organized by Centre for the Study of Governance Innovation (GovInn),
Department of Political Science, University of Pretoria, South Africa,
under the UNESCO-UNU Chair in Regional Integration, Migration
and Free Movement of People. We are grateful to all participants in
that workshop. The actual transformation of workshop presentations
to book chapters was, however, made possible with the help of many
people. The professional guidance and help from the editorial staff at
Palgrave is notable. Academic staff at the University of Pretoria (Political
Science department) and University of Zululand (Geography and
Environmental Studies department), and a long list of reviewers con-
tributed valuable input to this volume.
Many academic colleagues and friends have made significant com-
ments and offered guidance in the preparation of this volume and
they include: Dr. Samuel O. Oloruntoba of the Thabo Mbeki African
Leadership Institute (TMALI), University of South Africa (UNISA) and
Department of Political Science University of Lagos, Akoka, Nigeria;
Dr Adebusuyi I. Adeniran, Department of Sociology and Anthropology,
ix
x Acknowledgements
Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria; Dr. Hangwelani Hope
Magidimisha from the School of Built Environment and Development
Studies, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa; Mr.
Decide Mabumbo, Ph.D. fellow in the Human Economy Programme
at the University of Pretoria; and Dr. José Adalima, Universidade
Eduardo Mondlane, Departamento de Arqueologia e Antropologia,
Maputo, Mozambique. We are equally grateful to all the contributors to
this volume who worked under tremendous pressure to meet the inflex-
ible and tight deadlines. Their legendary work ethic and commitment
to this project is most appreciated. Every reasonable effort has been
made to contact copyright holders before publication and in the event
that there have been oversights in this regard, the editors and publishers
apologize and are ready to correct such, if the need arises.
We owe the greatest debt to our families. Editing and contributing
chapters towards this volume consumed a great deal of time away from
the family and children. I am especially grateful to my wife Charity, and
children for their patient support and understanding during those long
spells I spend engrossed in my own ivory tower (Christopher Changwe
Nshimbi). I am particularly grateful to my wife Precious, and children
who continue to tolerate the demands of my career and countless num-
bers of hours that I spend in the office (Inocent Moyo).
Pretoria, South Africa Christopher Changwe Nshimbi
January 2017 Inocent Moyo