Abstract:
It is remarkable that Africa, with enormous resource endowments and with more than 70
percent of the population engaged in agriculture, cannot feed itself. This background paper
ofers a critical assessment of the potential of regional trade and integration in addressing the
enduring challenge of food insecurity in Africa. Drawing on the literature, the paper argues that
regionalism ofers enormous opportunities and synergies for enhancing economic growth, food
supply, and stability of food prices that cannot be easily addressed by individual countries when
they operate in isolation from each other.
To demonstrate the potential of regional integration for achieving food security in Africa, this
paper starts by providing a conceptual framework that outlines the dimensions that link regional
cooperation and food security. An overview of the key policy initiatives that are currently
underway at enhancing integration at the continental level and in various regional blocs follows
this introduction. The paper then progresses to a review of the extent of economic integration
among African countries, with particular focus on the agriculture and food trade. It then presents
a discussion on potential areas of integration followed by an examination of capacity issues that
need policy attention in order to improve the potential of continental and regional integration in
improving national and household food security among African countries
