Ghana in Search of Regional Integration Agenda 2 Introduction Integration is widely conceived as a deeper form of interaction. The process of integration be it political, economical, technological or the use of human resources requires a conscious mission with a goal to be realised. Interaction among humans, being social beings, is definitely inevitable and as such, does not require a great deal of planning. It could be simply conscious at best, sometimes even accidental. However, Integration requires that the matter of'who with','where','how','why' and'when' be scrupulously addressed. Some Schools of Thought believe that the commitment of African states to regional integration would facilitate the realisation of the benefits of economies of scale, through the expansion of markets and promote efficiency in the use of resources. Further, regional integration has the potential of encouraging the development and the sharing of new technologies and products. Again, a comprehensively integrated African continent is likely to have a better bargaining capacity on the global scene which would result in improvements in the well-being of individual national economies. With the increasing perception that regional integration currently holds the key to Africa's and particularly West Africa's development therefore, this work gives an overview of the extent to which the foreign policy of Ghana has pursued the agenda of regional integration before and after independence. Some factors are key to the success of any Integration process. The approach to integration seems as important(if not more important) as the objective of integration. The personality, leadership style as well as the vision of a leader is key to the success of any integration process. The domestic environment of states can also determine the extent of success. Thus, integration has a better chance of succeeding, if the states within a region are experiencing political or economic stability. The reverse situation is also true. A clear distinction can be established in the political history of Ghana in relation to her commitment to the regional integration process in Africa and West Africa in particular. This paper reflects the consequential impact on Africa's effort at realising what can be generally considered an elusive dream if the state of affairs within the fifty four(54) individual states are to remain volatile.
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