Regional integration in Central Africa

The proliferation of regional agreements on the African continent has so far proved unsatisfactory. The process of economic integration, seen as an imperative for development, is struggling to take root on the continent, due to a number of anomalies. Overlapping regional economic communities do not benefit the continent. Central Africa, which is home to two regional economic communities, ECCAS and CEMAC, is no exception, as the cohabitation of these two regional communities is not conducive to the development of the regional integration process. If they are to reap the full benefits of regional economic integration, Central African countries would do well to see the rationalization of regional economic communities as a way out of this sluggish state of the integration process. This rationalization will be achieved through mergers and absorptions, on the one hand, and task-sharing, on the other, in order to bring the Central African zone out of this state of somnolence with regard to intra-community trade and the free movement of people.