Several regional agreements function as pillars of the AEC: 43. 2. The importance of regional integration is being felt across the continent, as evidenced by African leaders now calling for a free trade area by 2017. Looking at the Horn of Africa, some find that it demands “not only a multilateral approach, but also an approach of multiple and overlapping multilateralisms”. Regional integration is a development priority for Africa. Signed in 1991 and implemented in 1994, it provides for a staged integration of the regional economic agreements. But the issue of multiple membership remains an obstacle to further regional integration, and unless the counterproductive situation of each sub-region having three to four organisations (except North Africa) is fundamentally changed (Mistry, 2000: 567-8), regionalism in today’s Africa … Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) South-Sudan, recognized by the African Union (AU), has indicated its commitment to be an active player in regional organizations. According to the perspective of the Yearbook Monitoring Regional Integration in Southern Africa (Volume 8, 2008) Regional integration has been considered an important and successful tool of economic growth and development. Africa’s Regional Integration Index is measuring an Africa on the move. For regional integration in Africa to be a success, Africa’s leaders will have to move beyond grand gestures and abstract visions. With no single agreed regional peace and security forum, none plays “the uncontested role of custodian of norms, forum for conflict management, and arbiter of disputes”. More focused and gradual steps that are carefully executed at the domestic level may be the best place to start. If efficiently designed, they can improve policy cooperation across countries, thereby increasing international trade and investment, economic growth and social welfare. This is partly a function of the fact that, in 2009, President Jacob Zuma refused to entertain the idea of a […] Deep trade agreements are important institutional infrastructure for regional integration. Helpful comments by Ademola Oyejide and Daniel Bach are gratefully acknowledged. REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN SOUTHERN AFRICA Overview of Recent Developments Lolette Kritzinger-van Niekerk Emmanuel Pinto Moreira December 2002 The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this paper are entirely those of the author(s). They reduce trade costs and define many rules in which economies operate. In Southern Africa in particular, with its comparatively small economies, r egional integration was meant to play a The AU is therefore expected to act as the primary vehicle for the advancement of regional integration, and for the promotion of Africa’s integration into the global economy. However, success in this venture has been slow and marred by delay and stagnation. In some cases, this can lead to confusion in terminology and on the state of regional economic integration of a specific bloc. Eastern Africa has the largest number of RECs and intergovernmental regional bodies in Africa. Regional integration efforts, however, need to go hand in hand with competitiveness-enhancing policies as explored in other parts of the Africa Competitiveness Report. It is tracking the data that is driving Africa’s economic growth now and in the years to come. Africa’s Regional Integration Arrangements History and Challenges Tesfaye Dinka and Walter Kennes1 September 2007 1 Tesfaye Dinka is with the Global Coalition for Africa and Walter Kennes is with the Development Directorate-General of the European Commission. Africa’s roadmap for regional economic integration Middle East and Africa: AEC. The African Economic Community (AEC) is an organization of the African Union states. 3. Africa’s challenges call for pragmatism and a sense of urgency in action. Since countries are free to negotiate regional economic agreements as they wish, in practice, formal agreements rarely fall neatly into one of these five stages. peaceful region by supporting both public and private sector actors engaged in the regional integration process. 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