Integration Potential of African Regional Economic Communities

Abstract

The paper presents a theoretical framework for the assessment of the progress and success potential of regional integration agreements among developing countries taking into account their specific features such as stage of economic development, size of the economy, openness to the global economy, trade regimes and the patterns in their international trade. It then applies this framework to the regional economic communities in Africa that are regarded as building blocks of the African economic community – the Community of Sahel-Saharan States, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, the East African Community, the Economic Community of Central African States, the Economic Community of Western African States, the Intergovernmental Authority for Development and the South African Development Community. For each community the paper outlines the main conclusions on the deepness and potential of the integration processes using the developed theoretical framework.