Abstract
Since independence in the late 1950s, and in the early 1960s, regional integration in Africa has been identified as an important strategy for the acceleration of development in the continent. The reality of the Post-Cold War international economic world order also stimulates the intensification and fine-tuning of existing regional arrangements leading to the establishment of a supra-national organization and capacity building institutions to address the problems of underdevelopment in Africa. As a consequence, numerous integration groupings have been reorganized and created but their achievements have largely been modest due to inappropriate integration approaches. It is against this background that this article examines the interlocking nexus between regional integration and development in Africa, and maintains that Africans need to adjust their orientation as well as take a major shift towards economic complementarity among member states of integration blocs for the actualization of laudable development. It concludes that inward looking and the involvement of all Africans in the regional integration processes would be the best approach for regional integration to foster development.
Highlights
Since independence, states in Africa have been involved in regional integration as a strategy for solving their developmental challenges
A combination of things can be done to undo the challenges of regional integration in Africa
One area we can change to promote regional integration is to fine-tune our orientation, the political leaders and statesmen
Summary
States in Africa have been involved in regional integration as a strategy for solving their developmental challenges. Almost all the sub-regional organizations are formed to promote economic, social, political, cultural cooperation as well as to address issues of security and integration of member states All these regional groupings have lofty ideas of raising the living standard of the peoples, maintain economic stability and foster peaceful relations among the member states with the hope of contributing to the of development of Africa. The regional arrangements are charged with the responsibilities of giving African states an influence among the committee of nations, and oneness in relations with other trading blocs in the world These regional integration groupings are expected to promote unrestricted inter-states or member states relations and the free movement of goods and services between member countries. The section of this paper examines the extent to which these subregion groupings have contributed to Africa’s development against the backdrop of their lofty objectives
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