ABSTRACT
Regional integration is not a new phenomenon in Africa. Shortly after independence, the ¿rst African president, Kwame Nkrumah from Ghana, spread the idea that Africa must unite. Regional unity in Africa has been seen as a possible solution to the continent’s deep and prolonged economic and social crisis (Gans 2006, Mouendou 2009). Integration is believed to be crucial for the socio-economic transformation of Africa (Kufuor 2006). The largest West African regional organization, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), is often named as the most complex, active, intricate and advanced sub-region on the African continent (Edi 2007, Nkiranuye 2007, Okafor-Obasi 1995).
