Regional Integration and Trade in Africa

Regional integration has been adopted by many African governments as a response to difficulties facing national markets in landlocked countries. However, despite the aspiring targets they have experienced setbacks due to poor implementation. This book reviews the current trends, challenges and potential benefits of regional integration and trade in Africa, in a context of rising interest and momentum among African leaders on the topic. This study explores the many facets of regional trade, its implementation gaps and positive effects through empirical studies covering various African sub-regions and using different theoretical approaches. It analyses trade performance against full potential, its mitigated impact on the competitiveness, industrialization and economic diversification of African countries as well as the much debated effect of monetary unions on regional trade in the region. It provides valuable policy recommendations aimed at stimulating the debate among the government, private sector and development community on the ways to promote regional trade for Africa's economic development. Regional Integration and Trade in Africa examines various aspects of regional integration and trade in Africa, and will be of interest to scholars, students, researchers, policy-makers, and professionals.