REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN CENTRAL AFRICA

This briefing examines the state of regional integration in Central Africa, focusing on the roles and interactions of the Central Africa Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC) and the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). It analyzes the institutional frameworks, the impact of colonial legacies, the influence of external actors like France and the EU, and the challenges posed by overlapping memberships and the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations.

• Central Africa is characterized by significant natural resource wealth, which has contributed to regional conflict and political instability. The region's population is approximately 32 million, with density varying sharply from 33.2 inhabitants per square km in south western Cameroon to 4.9 in Gabon and 5.9 in the Central Africa Republic.
• CEMAC operates as a monetary union with a regional Central Bank (BEAC) and a Common External Tariff (CET) based on four product categories: essential products (5%), raw materials and capital goods (10%), intermediate goods (20%), and finished consumer goods (30%).
• CEMAC has pursued deeper integration than ECCAS by incorporating 'Singapore Issues' and harmonizing legal frameworks. This includes the OAPI for intellectual property rights, the OHADA Treaty for business law, and the CIMA Treaty for insurance markets.
• ECCAS serves as the African Union's selected building block for the Africa Economic Community (AEC) by 2028. While it has 18 protocols on trade and economic development, its progress toward deep integration is limited compared to CEMAC, and it lacks a clear-cut integration agenda.
• France maintains a predominant influence in the region's integration process, largely through the French Treasury's control of the monetary union and the fact that France and the EU remain the primary export markets for the region.
• Nigeria exerts significant economic influence in the region, particularly with Cameroon, despite not being a member of CEMAC or ECCAS. Cameroon trades more with Nigeria than with any other member of the two regional economic communities it belongs to.
• Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) negotiations between the EU and Central Africa are complicated by unequal development levels and the potential loss of import tax revenue. CEMAC countries proposed a 50-year transition period to build production capacities, though this is unlikely to meet WTO criteria.
• Regional integration is hindered by overlapping memberships in other RECs (SADC, COMESA, EAC), mistrust between member states, and trade barriers, such as the 19-day clearing duration at the Douala Port in Cameroon.

APA

Halleson, D. N. (2007). REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN CENTRAL AFRICA. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dttp_trade_briefing_15.pdf

Chicago

Halleson, Durrel N. REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN CENTRAL AFRICA. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2007. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dttp_trade_briefing_15.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Halleson |first1=Durrel N. |title=REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN CENTRAL AFRICA |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=July 2007 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dttp_trade_briefing_15.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{halleson2007regional, author = {Halleson, Durrel N.}, title = {{REGIONAL INTEGRATION IN CENTRAL AFRICA}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2007}, month = jul, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/dttp_trade_briefing_15.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }