Ghana in Search of Regional Integration Agenda 5 slave trade was carried out and the fangs of colonialism were sunk into the Gold Coast from the 16 th to 18 th Century. 6 This same situation constitutes a major challenge to the possible integration of the region by the Gold Coast. Another major challenge that faced possible regional integration was the apparent competition which existed among the colonial masters of the territories namely Britain, Portugal, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, and Belgium who did not welcome any inter­territorial integration considerations. There was basically no motivation for these administrators to integrate what they had needed to separate in the first place. The lack of political will on the part of Britain(which is understandable considering her parochial interests) and the minimal drive for integration among the'local' leaders of the colonies did not facilitate the regional integration process. This obviously underscored the importance of the role of leadership with regards to the vision and goals they set, since little could be achieved by the people unless the inclination of the leadership was consistent with the will of the people. The Blazing Trail of Regional Integration – the Post-Independence (Kwame Nkrumah) Era The Gold Coast was ushered into an unfavourable polarised international environment at the dawn of independence on March 6, 1957. The international environment was tense with the existence of the Cold War between the United States of America(USA) and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics(USSR). The Gold Coast assumed a new name, at independence, Ghana,(after the former strong Ghana Empire). As a small and independent state, Ghana attempted to enlarge its influence and increase its recognition through its foreign policy. It chose to use the vessel of foreign policy to assert itself because unlike Egypt(then known as the United Arab Union) which had geographical clout in the form of the Suez Canal, 7 it did not possess strategic significance in the sight of the West and East. In the light of an aggressive integration agenda, however, Ghana was perceived to have some real potential. The bedrock of Ghana's foreign policy especially in terms of its leadership role in the integration arena was firmly laid by its first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah on the ticket of the Convention People's Party(CPP). As a strong believer and advocate of anti-colonialism, Nkrumah famously declared on the eve of Ghana's independence “… we again rededicate ourselves in the struggle to emancipate other countries in Africa; for our independence is meaningless unless it is linked up with the total 6 Ibid, p. 3. 7 W. Scott Thompson, Ghana's Foreign Policy 1957-1966, Diplomacy, Ideology and the New State,(New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1969). p. xi.