The Contribution of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa to Regional Integration in Africa

Abstract

The promotion of regional integration in Africa has been on the agenda of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) since its inception in 1958. In spite of the activities and programmes adopted by the ECA to further this agenda on the continent, achieving greater integration has proved elusive and most of the regional integration arrangements on the continent have not achieved the expected results. Some of the programmes of the ECA have achieved limited success whilst others have failed altogether. Using mainly primary sources, complemented by secondary data, this study sought to evaluate the contributions of the ECA to regional integration in Africa, as well as the critical challenges that hinder the smooth and successful implementation of its programmes to enhance the integration process on the continent. The study found that although the ECA has contributed enormously to the progress of integration on the continent, major challenges such as inadequate finance and human resource within the organization, poor infrastructure on the continent and the multiplicity of Regional Economic Communities in Africa, among others, have hindered the ECA from effectively contributing to the integration of Africa. The study offered recommendations on how the ECA can better aid Africa in the future to deepen integration.