Growth and Development in the Sugar to Confectionery Value Chain

The member states of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) have placed industrial development at the core of the region's integrated development agenda. This paper seeks to assess the regional competitiveness and opportunities in the sugar to confectionery value chain in Zambia and South Africa. Agro-processing, specifically in the sugar to confectionery value chain, is an important area in which industrial development can be pursued in both countries. This study aims to develop a shared understanding of the challenges impeding the expansion of downstream industrial activity in the sugar confectionery sector in the two countries, and to identify the potential for firms to upgrade. This research offers concrete proposals that will inform cross country policy initiatives to address these challenges at a regional level