Regional Integration and Development in Africa: Between the Rock and a Hard Place

Since independence in the late 1950s, and in the early 1960s, regional integration in Africa has been identified as an important strategy for the acceleration of development in the continent. The reality of the Post-Cold War international economic world order also stimulates the intensification and...

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Main Author: Friday Aworawo
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: UUM Press 2016-12-01
Series:Journal of International Studies
Subjects:
Online Access:https://e-journal.uum.edu.my/index.php/jis/article/view/7970
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author Friday Aworawo
author_facet Friday Aworawo
author_sort Friday Aworawo
collection DOAJ
description Since independence in the late 1950s, and in the early 1960s, regional integration in Africa has been identified as an important strategy for the acceleration of development in the continent. The reality of the Post-Cold War international economic world order also stimulates the intensification and fine-tuning of existing regional arrangements leading to the establishment of a supra-national organization and capacity building institutions to address the problems of underdevelopment in Africa. As a consequence, numerous integration groupings have been reorganized and created but their achievements have largely been modest due to inappropriate integration approaches. It is against this background that this article examines the interlocking nexus between regional integration and development in Africa, and maintains that Africans need to adjust their orientation as well as take a major shift towards economic complementarity among member states of integration blocs for the actualization of laudable development. It concludes that inward looking and the involvement of all Africans in the regional integration processes would be the best approach for regional integration to foster development.  
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spelling doaj.art-31e51f27831f4fa68bdcbb5bafdffb9b2023-04-21T03:27:49ZengUUM PressJournal of International Studies1823-691X2289-666X2016-12-0112Regional Integration and Development in Africa: Between the Rock and a Hard PlaceFriday Aworawo0Department of History and Strategic Studies, University of Lagos, NigeriaSince independence in the late 1950s, and in the early 1960s, regional integration in Africa has been identified as an important strategy for the acceleration of development in the continent. The reality of the Post-Cold War international economic world order also stimulates the intensification and fine-tuning of existing regional arrangements leading to the establishment of a supra-national organization and capacity building institutions to address the problems of underdevelopment in Africa. As a consequence, numerous integration groupings have been reorganized and created but their achievements have largely been modest due to inappropriate integration approaches. It is against this background that this article examines the interlocking nexus between regional integration and development in Africa, and maintains that Africans need to adjust their orientation as well as take a major shift towards economic complementarity among member states of integration blocs for the actualization of laudable development. It concludes that inward looking and the involvement of all Africans in the regional integration processes would be the best approach for regional integration to foster development.   https://e-journal.uum.edu.my/index.php/jis/article/view/7970Integrationregional organizationdevelopmentAfrica
spellingShingle Friday Aworawo
Regional Integration and Development in Africa: Between the Rock and a Hard Place
Journal of International Studies
Integration
regional organization
development
Africa
title Regional Integration and Development in Africa: Between the Rock and a Hard Place
title_full Regional Integration and Development in Africa: Between the Rock and a Hard Place
title_fullStr Regional Integration and Development in Africa: Between the Rock and a Hard Place
title_full_unstemmed Regional Integration and Development in Africa: Between the Rock and a Hard Place
title_short Regional Integration and Development in Africa: Between the Rock and a Hard Place
title_sort regional integration and development in africa between the rock and a hard place
topic Integration
regional organization
development
Africa
url https://e-journal.uum.edu.my/index.php/jis/article/view/7970
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