Publication: De-fragmenting Africa : Deepening Regional Trade Integration in Goods and Services
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Date
2012-01
ISSN
Published
2012-01
Author(s)
World Bank
Abstract
This book is the result of an extensive
agenda of analytical work on regional trade integration in
Africa involving staff from various units of the Africa
region of the World Bank. The aim of this volume is to
provide the main messages from this work to a wide audience
the private sector, civil society, key ministries, relevant
agencies that is necessary to provide the consensus and
broad base for successful implementation of reforms. Africa
is not achieving its potential in regional trade. The
contributions to this volume highlight the enormous scope
for increased cross-border trade in Africa and the reasons
why such opportunities are not being exploited. The main
objective of this introductory chapter is to draw attention
to the key reason why Africa's potential for regional
trade remains unexploited: the high transaction costs that
face those who trade across borders in Africa. The
contributions to the volume discuss a wide range of policy
related barriers that drive up costs and limit trade. The
chapter starts with a review of recent export performance in
Africa, noting the strong growth rates in many countries.
However, the impact of such growth on employment and poverty
has been much muted and important challenges remain,
especially with regard to greater diversification of
exports, and it is here that effective regional integration
that reduces transaction costs can play a key role. The
paper then discusses the key barriers that raise costs for
traders and continue to fragment the African market.
Finally, the paper ends with some specific recommendations
for action that policy makers can take at the regional level
to support integrated markets in Africa and discusses how
the World Bank and other donors can support those wishing to
implement the necessary reforms.
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Citation
“World Bank. 2012. De-fragmenting Africa : Deepening Regional Trade Integration in Goods and Services. © Washington, DC. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/12385 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”