Ghana in Search of Regional Integration Agenda 3 Integration in the Quagmire of Colonisation – The Gold Coast Era A close examination of the colonial era of the state of Ghana(then the Gold Coast) with reference to regional integration reveals a bag of mixed outcomes. The nations of the peoples within today's Ghana are believed to have settled in their present territories by AD 1400, 1 becoming fully fledged nations with centralised political authorities by the 16 th Century. Economically, these nations experienced a significant degree of integration which facilitated trade and movement of resources. This integration became necessary due to the non-availability of some needed resources among other things, as a result of their geographical location. Significant mention must be made of the relevance of the Volta River which connected the nations of the Southern territories to the major historical Trans-Sahara trade route in the North. The trading activities transcended the realms of mere interactions to actually facilitating what could be considered strategic integrations. Yet, it must be mentioned that these integration efforts were generated and advanced by the indigenous peoples of the nations which efforts, were influenced by the various goals that guided their independent socio-economic and cultural development. The roots of Ghanaian nationalism go back to the early decades of the 20th century. It owed much to the influences of the Pan African Movement of W. W. B. Du Bois, Sylvester Williams, Edward Blyden and Marcus Garvey among others and the West African Students Union based in the United Kingdom. 2 The Gold Coast compared to other colonies of the British Empire was said to have been endowed with a number of well trained natives who were instrumental in the relatively early annexation of independence from the colonial masters. In the pursuit of the struggle for independence, some of the strategies which were used included the formation of local and international movements that sought to pressurise the British to leave and also as a forum of protest. The Aborigines' Rights Protection Society(ARPS) was one such movement. formed in 1897 by traditional leaders and the educated elite in the Gold Coast, it had as its original objective protesting against the Crown Lands Bill of 1896 and the Lands Bill of 1897 that threatened traditional land tenure. The ARPS became the main political organisation that led, organised and sustained opposition against the Colonial Government, laying the foundation for political action that would ultimately lead to independence. 3 Another notable strategy(which portrayed the leadership ability of a son of the soil) was an endeavour to integrate entities within the British territories of the West 1 http://www.ghana50.gov.gh accessed on 04/10/08 2 http://www.ghana50.gov.gh/history/ accessed on 04/10/08 3 Nti Kwaku, Action and Reaction: An Overview of the Ding Dong Relationship between the Colonial Government and the People of Cape Coast, Nordic Journal of African Studies 11(1): 1-37(2002) accessed from http://www.bookrags.com/wiki/Aborigines'_Rights_Protection_Society on 21/01/09.