Economic co-operation in Africa: role and relevance of regional and subregional institutions

Abstract

The eighteenth century metaphysical poet John Dunne said that "no man is an island unto himself". This is indeed true for present day developing countries in the sense that the achievement of rapid development is virtually impossible through any strategy characterized predominantly by autarchism. The statement is of added significance to the poor developing countries of Africa which is the most balkanized of all the continents. "With only 10 per cent of the world population, Africa numbers one-third of the countries of the world", (statement by Domenico Mazzeo guoted in Koester, 1986, p.15).