Rethinking regional economic integration in Africa as if industrialization mattered

Abstract

This paper outlines an evolutionary and an historical theoretical framework to identify and propose taxonomic principles that can be used to analyze whether or not a given regional economic integration (REI) arrangement is transformative and developmental. Using this framework, it looks into the relationship between industrialization and regional economic integration in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). It also looks at how asymmetric economic integration with advanced economies has affected industrialization and symmetric economic integration in Africa. Based on historical evidence, the paper concludes that there is a positive, circular and cumulative relationship between industrialization and regional economic integration in SSA. It also concludes that the asymmetric economic integration of SSA economies with advanced ones has had negative, circular and cumulative impact on industrialization and (symmetric) economic integration in SSA. Therefore, it argues that, if industrialization and transformative REI is to take place in SSA, there is a need for making context-specific, dynamic and transformative industrial policies as center pieces of development strategies, for rethinking REI initiatives in such a way that they facilitate and amplify the effectiveness of these industrial policies and strategies, and for replacing the legacies of colonialism and neoliberal globalization with strategic integration of SSA economies vis. advanced economies.