Discussion Papers

October 8, 2014

Regional Integration In Africa: Some Recent Developments And Challenges

African countries have been left out of the recent benefits accruing from international trade. For example, they accounted for only 3.2 percent of world trade in 2013 compared to 5 percent in the mid-1960s. Regional integration can reverse this weak performance as it holds the promise for countries to gain from the resultant economies of scale and enhanced competitiveness. It will also help to expand the markets for foreign direct investment.

Download Label
March 13, 2018 - 4:00 am
application/pdf
289.41 kB
v.1.7 (stable)
Read →

Author:Idris Ademuyiwa and Eberechukwu Uneze

Publication Date: October 2014

Document Size: 8 pages

Similarly, apart from assuaging Africas greatest economic problem (i.e. the high incidence of poverty), regional integration will go a long way in addressing non-economic problems like recurring conflicts and political instability as well as weak bargaining power in the multilateral front. It is in recognition of these potentials that all countries in the region belong to at least one regional economic community (REC). In fact, the plan is to merge and consolidate the RECs in Africa to form the African Economic Community (AEC) over a period of 34 years in six phases. While these efforts are timely and have begun to yield sparse successes in terms of deepening integration and improving the wellbeing of Africans, some challenges remain.

This article attempts to identify some of the achievements that have been made in regional integration in Africa as well as areas where challenges remain. It also attempts to examine the roles that the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) can play in the integration process.



Related

 

Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 24)

Crude oil price increased, in the week under review, to its highest price in 2016. Nigerias bonny light increased by $1.38 from $48.02 per barrel on May 20, 2016 to $49.64 per barrel on May 27, 2016, while Brent crude was sold for $50 per barrel on May 26, 2016. The catalyst for price gains in the period under review is the supply-side contractions, with unplanned production shortages in Nigeria, Canada and Iraq. The upward trend of prices may unlock more supplies in subsequent weeks, but the OPEC meeting scheduled for June 2, 2016, could moderate the effect. Nigeria is expected to benefit from crude oil price rising above the $38 per barrel benchmark. Unfortunately, supply disruptions continue to negatively affect oil revenue and may have contributed to the depletion of external reserve by over $153 millionthis week. The federal government, in collaboration with relevant security agencies, should find a lasting solution to the vandalism of oil pipelines and production facilities.

Learning in Nigeria's Schools: Lessons from In and Out of School Children and a Potential Pedagogical Function (A RISE PRESENTATION)

Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 50)

In the third quarter of 2017, NBS report show that Nigeria recorded a marginal quarter-overquarter and significant Year-on-Year increases in the value (in Naira terms) of merchandise (goods) foreign trade. At N5.92 trillion, total merchandise trade increased 3.9 percent over the preceding quarter and 23.9 percent over the corresponding quarter in 2016. Specifically, with exports rising QOQ by 15.2 percent to N3.57 trillion and imports shrinking by 9.4 percent to N2.35 trillion, trade balance amounted to a surplus of N1.22 trillion in 2017Q3- a substantial 142 percentage increase (QOQ) in trade surplus value.

Nigeria Economic Update (Issue 17)