1. Regional Integration in Africa: Where do we Stand?
Jaime de Melo

2. Outline
A Primer on the theory of Regional Integration confronted to 20th and 21st Centuries
The challenge of integration in Africa along the Regional Economic Communities (RECs)
A first look at overly ambitious RECs
The landscape along the Abuja Roadmap:
Economic and geography characteristics
Cultural and institutional
Correlates of bilateral Trade in Manufactures
The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (2018) and the triangle of incompat
Detecting the Effects of integration:
Trade-intensity indices
Gravity-calibrated trade costs
Building the RECs: Depth vs- breadth
Towards a provision of regional public goods

3. References (1)
[3] Sapir, A. (2011) “European Integration at the Crossroads: A Review Essay on the 50th Anniversary of Bela Balassa's Theory of Economic Integration”, Journal of Economic Literature, 49(4),
[3] Melo, Panagariya and Rodrik (1992) “The New Regionalism: A Country Perspective”,
[1] Melo, Jaime de, and Yvonne Tsikata (2015) “Regional Integration in Africa: Challenges and Prospects” in C. Monga and J. Lin eds. The Oxford Handbook of Africa and Economics, Oxford University Press and FERDI-WPI#93
[2] Melo, Jaime de, Mariem Nouar, and Jean-Marc Solleder (2017) «Integration Along the Abuja Road Map”, FERDI WP# 191, forthcoming in Newfarmer, Page, and Tarp eds. Industrializing Africa without Smokestacks, Oxford, Oxford University Press. Summary here
[5] Will West Africa’s Common External Tariff Protect Consumers?
Africa Economic Outlook 2019 “Integration for Africa’s Economic Prosperity”, chp. 3 of AEO 2019

4. References (2)
[6] EU Trade Deals with Developing Nations: Missed Opportunities
[1] Byers, Melo and Brown (2018) “Working with the Grain of African Integration” ( Policy Brief
[3] Regional integration arrangements in Africa: Is a large membership the way forward?
[3] Make Preferential Treatment Real for Africa: Relax Rules of Origin
[4] Regional trade Agreements in Africa: Success or failure?
[4] The African Continental Free Trade Area: An Integration Trilemma