Ghana in Search of Regional Integration Agenda 28 The Role of the Executive Actors Regional integration, as part of foreign policy, cannot be the exclusive preserve of the Executive branch of government in a democracy. The elected representatives of the people have an important role in the ratification of international agreements and delineating the laws within which the conduct of foreign policy must take place. Under Ghanaian law, treaties, international agreements and conventions are incorporated into domestic law by means of an Act or resolution of Parliament (Article 75(2), 1992 Constitution). Thus international and other specified agreements need legislative ratification before they can have effect in the domestic jurisdiction. Therefore, the role of the Executive and its related institutions in the formulation and implementation of foreign(in our case, regional integration) policy is most significant. Ghana's 1992 Constitution grants the Executive wide powers in foreign policy in general(and in our context regional integration). Article 40 provides among other things that“in its dealings with other nations, the Government shall … adhere to the principles enshrined in … the aims and ideals of –(i) the Charter of the United Nations;(ii) the charter of the Organisation of African Unity;(iii) the Commonwealth; (iv) the Treaty of the Economic Community of West African States; and(v) any other international organisation of which Ghana is a member.” More significantly, Article 75(1) provides that“The President may execute or cause to be executed treaties, agreements or conventions in the name of Ghana”. In the specific context of regional integration in West Africa, Ghana's policies are focused on the promotion of peace and good neighbourliness with immediate neighbours through the conclusion of various bilateral arrangements to ensure the security and integrity of its territorial borders; as well as, general cooperation with states in the West African sub-region in the implementation of ECOWAS protocols, particularly those related to in free movement of goods and services, intra­community trade, common infrastructural development, sub-regional peace and security and dealing with cross-border crimes. The most relevant executive institutions with respect to regional integration are the Cabinet, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Regional Integration and NEPAD; the Ministry of Trade, Industry, Presidential Special Initiative(PSI) and Private Sector Development(PSD); the ECOWAS Bureau; the Customs Excise and Preventive Service(CEPS); the Ghana Immigration Service(GIS); the Ghana Police Service(GPS) and the Ghana Armed Forces(GAF).