Emergent Africa Evolution of Regional Economic Integration

Abstract

Africa is a paradoxical continent. On the one hand, it is endowed with abundant natural resources that have defined its image and place in the global economy. But on the other hand it has some of the poorest nations on earth. One would assume that, given the circumstances, newly independent African states would have aggressively sought to uplift their economic performance and improve the wellbeing of their people through adding value to their natural resources. Yet proposals for resource-led industrial transformation were not developed until much later in the evolution of Africa’s economic integration. They opted instead to promote a Pan-African agenda for regional economic integration.