Africa regional integration index: an update on the approach and methodological issues

Abstract

In more recent times, the African Union’s political leadership has adopted a number of initiatives to accelerate the African integration agenda. The Minimum Integration Programme was adopted by the African Union to accelerate the African integration process in key areas including trade and market integration, free movement of persons and infrastructural development. In response to those requests, the African Development Bank, African Union Commission and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) began developing a regional integration index. An index of African regional integration can become an indispensable reference for African governments, enabling them to see how much progress they are making towards realizing the agreed vision of an integrated Africa.