Ghana in Search of Regional Integration Agenda 153 • Develop a regional strategy for increased industrial growth directed towards the satisfaction of the common market. • Implementation of appropriate trade policies, combining judiciously some selective protection measures for sensitive products and sectors. • Establish structural funds and other mechanisms to help countries which have weaker industrial sector or higher unemployment rate. • Empower women and the youth. • Increase intra community, social, cultural, political and security cooperation. • Establish mechanisms for cooperation at education and cultural levels within the community and trading logics must be protected in the framework of global agreements on trade and services., • Take efficient and collective measures to fight against trans-border issues like AIDS, child work and women slavery. • The inclusion and effective implementation of the Core Conventions of the International Labour Organisation in all policies adopted at the community level. • Promotion of social responsibility of enterprises at the community level. 168 Guided by the more elaborate campaign and advocacy strategy, the representatives of the National Centres of organised labour made various interventions to push forward the regional integration agenda, while campaigning against the EPA or at least aspects of the EPA. Thus, representatives of organised labour Ghana adopted strategies such as lobbying, media campaigns and interventions, popular manifestations like floats and demonstrations, some action-oriented research, capacity building for various actors – including policy makers, parliamentarians and other civil society activists. Challenges Regional integration in West Africa has been daunted with manifold challenges that have often-times slowed down the realisation of its objectives. As acknowledged by the West African Trade Union Working Group, integration efforts are confronted with various limitations including the varied size, natural resource endowment, development levels, and food security situation of the countries involved in the integration project. In addition, there are political and ideological splits between countries, based largely on their colonial heritage. Further, internal and trans-border conflicts have seriously affected the integration process and undermined the hope of a great number of the population. The economic crisis of the 70's and 80's created the conditions for the establishment of structural adjustment programmes 168 The ILO Core Labour Standards are obligatory for all member countries, whether they have been ratified or not: ­these are Freedom of Association, Non-Discrimination, Freedom from Forced Labour, Freedom from Child Labour