Why should regional agreements work any better than the existing arrangements?
Regional integration is at the heart of the ACP’s own development strategies. The fact is that ACP economies are too small to go it alone and most trade more with Europe than they do with their neighbours and more duties are paid on developing countries exports to other developing countries than to OECD countries. This means that regional integration has potential to boost local trade and create larger markets to attract trade and investment. Most ACP countries currently depend on their exports to the EU. Take the case of Ghana: 49% of their exports go to the EU, exports to its neighbour Benin only accounts for 2.6%. In Cameroon, 61% of exports go to the EU, and 55% of imports come from the EU. Eliminating barriers between neighbouring countries and creating real integration would favour trade exchanges and boost economic growth. It would also create bigger markets more attractive to investors and would facilitate trade with landlocked countries. Where an ACP region is preparing for a
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