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ECA Press Release No. 15/2004 COMING SOON: ECA’s GROUNDBREAKING STUDY ON INTEGRATION IN AFRICA Addis-Ababa, 7 July 2004 (ECA) -- The Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will on Wednesday 14th July 2004 launch the first comprehensive report on regional integration efforts in Africa. The report, called Assessing Regional Integration in Africa (ARIA), analyzes efforts made by African countries to integrate their economies from the early years, particularly from the time the Abuja Treaty establishing the African Economic Community came into force in 1994, up to the creation of the African Union in 2000. The report examines the wide array of institutions and protocols that have been established and/or signed by African countries to foster regional integration. Some of the key institutions include fourteen regional economic communities (RECs) and associated entities such as the West African Monetary Institute (WAMI) and the Preferential Trade Area’s Development Bank. Numerous protocols have been signed covering areas such as linking transport and telecommunications infrastructure, the free mobility of labour and capital between countries and mechanisms for monetary convergence. However, results so far have not been commensurate with the efforts deployed. Intra-African trade remains very low and undiversified, hobbled by numerous supply-side bottlenecks. One key observation is that the amount of resources, both human and financial, applied to the integration effort has been insufficient to match the ambitions outlined by African political leaders. ARIA finds that a substantial resource gap exists between the mandate of the RECs and their capacity to deliver, based on resources and staffing. Furthermore, the fourteen RECS spread limited resources too thinly, with a number of RECs pursuing similar mandates, and many countries belonging to more than one REC. There is therefore an urgent need to strengthen the capacity of RECs and harmonize their programme delivery mechanisms. The report makes several recommendations on accelerating the pace of integration, covering several dimensions, including ratifying protocols, alternative financing mechanisms, establishing sound monetary and financial frameworks and institutions, engaging the private sector and addressing issues of regional public goods. ARIA is the first in a series of reports on regional integration in Africa. The second edition of ARIA is expected in the second half of 2005. (END) For
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