Effect on Regional integration on Inter-regional Trade in Africa

Abstract

Regional integration offers participating countries advantages including the enlargement of the economic space, increased efficiency and the development of interregional trade. In the African regional communities, these assets are slow to emerge because of insufficient progress in the implementation of protocols, lack of economic diversification and various supply-side constraints. Moreover, Africa’s ability to participate fully in world trade is currently hampered by weaknesses in private investment inflows, commodity dependence, non-existent or poorly developed infrastructure, and small regional markets