ABSTRACT
Africa has, in the recent past, recorded impressive gains on specific economic indicators (World Bank 2013, 2012; Africa Progress Panel 2013; ACBF 2013, 2012). The World Bank (2013), for example, argues that economic growth in sub-Saharan Africa remains strong with a growth forecast of 4.9 percent in 2013, attributing the growth to increasing levels of investment. Even though growth might be improving, the challenge is how to translate it into reducing the incidence of poverty in the region. This is because growth does not seem to have a parallel impact on reducing poverty and other forms of social inequality (World Bank 2013). In order to address the relationship between growth and poverty rates, analysts are beginning to focus their attention on regional organizations or regional economic communities (Bowles et al. 2007; Mbaku and Saxena 2004; Söderbaum and Taylor 2003; Grant and Söderbaum 2003).
