Africa's Progress in Regional and Global Economic Integration

In Volume 18 with the title "Africa's Progress in Regional and Global Economic Integration - Towards Transformative Regional Integration" major strategic and policy issues are analysed. The guiding issue is how to make regional integration in Africa more transformative. So far regional integration i [...]
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In Volume 18 with the title "Africa's Progress in Regional and Global Economic Integration - Towards Transformative Regional Integration" major strategic and policy issues are analysed. The guiding issue is how to make regional integration in Africa more transformative. So far regional integration in Africa is based on a conventional (linear) model, starting from trade preference zones and then moving to free trade areas, customs unions, monetary and economic zones, etc. with the ultimate goal to reach political unity. Based on Africa's deep routed structural problems the key aspect of a transformative regional integration is how to promote structural transformation by adapted strategies and policies for the African regional economic communities (RECs), but also for the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) and the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA). Also, specific problems of a more transformative regional integration agenda are discussed (food security and agriculture; industry development, enterprise growth and competition; and economic partnership agreements with extra-regional partners, like the Economic Partnership Agreements of the EU with ECOWAS and EAC). In a final part, three global value chains of importance for Africa (for diamonds, shea butter, and sesame) are considered in their impact on regions, on sub-regions, and on regional integration. Complementary to Volume 18 is Volume 19 with the title "Africa's Progress in Regional and Global Economic Integration - Towards New Trade and Investment Policies." Two major issues are discussed - first, the role of "New Trade Policies in Africa for Structural Change" and second, the role of "New Investment Policies in Africa for Structural Change." The role of newly conceived policies to support a more transformative regional integration process for Africa is analysed through analytical surveys and country cases. In a final part important new books on the theme are reviewed.