Abstract
Regionalism, of which the European Union is a successful example, has also been adopted by several African countries. The economic problems to be overcome here, more often than not include a sparse population, small internal markets, deficient infrastructure and economies vulnerable to fluctuating world prices. A further rationale for regionalism is more explicitly political in nature. Meeting the challenges of African development through a strategy of regionalism has been an enormous task in the past, and while there may be grounds for pessimism, this paper views the future with guarded optimism.
Highlights
Regionalism, which has heen adopted by a large number of African countries as a strategy for meeting the development challenges of the nation-state, has become such a world-wide phenomenon that the post-World War period has been to some extent described as an "era of regional integration" or, as scholars like Haberler would have it, "the age of integration"
Except perhaps the modest achievements in the integration of physical infrastructures in the case of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and Southern African Development Community (SADC) respectively, regional peace and security provided by ECOWAS during the Liberian civil war and the subsequent crisis in Sierra Leone, and the political benefits derived from annual meetings of the political leadership of the various communities which offered opportunities to deal with regional issues of importance that could not be dealt with in the much larger annual meetings of the Organization of African Unity or at the bilateral level, it is safe to say that the regional integration arrangements established in the first three decades of independence have not been successful
To enable Africa to move towards sustainable developmental regionalism so as to effectively meet some of the crucial challenges to development, policy measures should be initiated towards the strengthening of the popular base of the process of regionalism
Summary
Regionalism, which has heen adopted by a large number of African countries as a strategy for meeting the development challenges of the nation-state, has become such a world-wide phenomenon that the post-World War period has been to some extent described as an "era of regional integration" or, as scholars like Haberler would have it, "the age of integration". Many still believe that the establishment of larger political and economic units in Africa would enhance development and that regionalism is inevitable for the long-term, sustainable and self-reliant development of the continent It is not surprising that following the second wave of regionalism in the early I990s, the question of economic integration is once again at the top of the policy agenda in almost al\ the subregions of Africa. Regionalism should not be regarded as a single, all-inclusive means of meeting the development challenges of the nation-state in Africa, for there are limits, very great limits, to what it can contribute or accomplish Economic integration, it has been stressed, is not a panacea for the complex problems of the African subregions.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: South African Journal of Economic and Management Sciences
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
