A programme in support of African regional integration : submission of Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa (CEMAC), Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Southern African Development Community (SADC)

Abstract

Africa's development problems continue to be exasperated by gross inadequacy of integrating sectors of trade, finance, transport, communication, agriculture and manufacturing industries. Deep pockets of poverty remain causing severe human suffering, contributing to massive environmental degradation and threatening to undermine the emerging democracies. The continent risks being confronted with the real danger of finding itself on the periphery of the global economic mainstream as a result of its growing lag in the social, technological and economic fields. This enduring crisis in a major way has crystalized a consensus on the imperative need for closer regional co-operation and integration . The emphasis is now on regionalism to bring the fragmented economies together to achieve growth and development.