Regional Integration, Borders and Development in Africa

At the Berlin Conference of 1884–1885, previously existing kingdoms and nationalities in Africa were bifurcated into various micro states to serve the interests of the imperial powers. The borders that were created to separate the various states were both artificial and arbitrary as they did not reflect the existing geographical spaces that the various nationalities occupied before the bifurcation. Curiously, post-colonial African leaders decided at the 1964 Cairo Conference of the Organisation of African Unity to maintain these borders in order to protect the sovereignty of the newly independent states. The consequence of this singular decision has been wars and conflicts, especially at the border communities, on one hand, and the avoidable stifling of economic and social development on the other hand. This chapter examines the relationship between borders, regional integration and socio-economic development in Africa. It departs from previous scholarly interventions on this issue by interrogating the underlying philosophies behind the borders from the perspectives of both local and transnational elites. The chapter also transcends the preoccupation with analysing regional integration from purely economic considerations, to non-economic issues such as cultural integration and social interaction among people in the border communities. The chapter concludes that given the elite considerations that underpinned the creation and sustenance of these borders, regional integration, which will ensure the dismantling of the borders and foster socio-cultural penetration among Africans, is of utmost necessity.