Ghana in Search of Regional Integration Agenda 158 BACKGROUND Integration in West Africa has deep-seated roots that run into the period of its colonisation through the post colonial era into the present. Yet, despite this long­standing history, it was Ghana's first President, Osagyefo Dr. Kwame Nkrumah who placed Ghana at the forefront of West African and ultimately the continents integration agenda. Nkrumah's clearly stated his quest for an integrated region when he stated in his first foreign policy statement that “the independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of the entire African continent.” 173 Thus, the integration agenda played a vital role in his efforts at nation building and development. A scan of Ghana's successive foreign policies after Nkrumah suggests continuity in this direction. Irrespective of their ideological leanings, almost all of Ghana's political leaders have pursued regional integration as part of their foreign policy even if the compartmentalisation of the issues of integration has been somewhat different. Although there has been a vigorous and systematic effort at economic integration in the sub-region, other factors which can aid in the integration efforts have lagged behind and where present, it has been piecemeal. This paper looks at the role of educational institutions in Ghana in the facilitation of the West African regional integration agenda. It seeks to ascertain whether educational institutions in Ghana have a role to play in the integration agenda; identify those roles, and collate the strategies which have been employed to undertake these roles. It also discusses the challenges encountered and the prospects for surmounting these challenges. According to Lombarde and Van Langenhove regional integration is a: worldwide phenomenon of territorial systems that increase the interactions between their components and create new forms of organisation, co-existing with traditional forms of state-led organisation at the national level. 174 This means that integration requires interaction at all levels – political, economic, social and cultural. This need for interaction at all levels suggests the need for a multidimensional process which takes cognisance of the linkages and synergies between all the units of production. However, there has been a heavy emphasis on economic co-operation as the vehicle for integration, oftentimes leaving behind the other equally important segments required for effective integration. Asante 173 Nkrumah, Kwame'Africa Must Unite'(London: Panaf Books Ltd, 1974) p.136 174 Philippe De Lombaerde, Luk Van Langenhove,“Indicators of Regional Integration: Methodological Issues”, IIIS Discussion Paper, No. 64, March 2005