De-Fragmenting Africa

Book excerpt: Africa is not achieving its potential in regional trade. This is of particular importance given the uncertainty surrounding the global economy and stagnation in traditional markets in Europe and North America and the emergence of Africa as a rising growth pole. The contributions to this volume highlight the enormous scope for increased cross-border trade in Africa in both goods and services and the reasons why such opportunities are not being exploited. The varied contributions show that for effective regional integration policy makers must look beyond simply removing tariffs to address barriers on the ground that constrain the daily operations of ordinary producers and traders. This requires a reform agenda, covering both goods and services that puts in place appropriate regulations for integrated markets and builds the capacity of institutions that are essential for trade across borders. The incidence of barriers to regional trade fall most heavily on the poor and women and prevents them from exploiting the opportunities that regional trade provides to diversify exports away from a narrow range of minerals and primary products that have been driving recent growth. Regional trade can play a key role in delivering the jobs that are needed for Africa’s young populations. The chapters have been written in a non-technical way to promote dialogue on regional integration in Africa amongst a broad audience that includes policy makers, officials, academics, entrepreneurs, consumers as well as the international development community.