Ghana in Search of Regional Integration Agenda 166 Infuse the concept and objectives of integration into existing syllabi According to Asante, integration is multifaceted and needs to be approached from a variety of angles. 192 This means that from the Presidency to the ordinary man and woman, everyone must recognise that they are uniquely integral to the system required to move the vehicle of integration forward. The importance of the interdependence required for the success of integration can therefore not be over­emphasised. Therefore, no matter which discipline a person finds him/herself in, it is imperative that they understand the rationale behind the sub region's integration efforts. For instance, ECOWAS has established an Early Response Team(ERT) to address disasters in the sub-region. This requires a constant exchange of information on the state of a country's disaster plan. Unless the persons in charge are aware of the extreme importance of feeding the information into the Situation Room, it will not receive the urgent attention required. In fact, the ERT has had challenges in this regard as due(in part) to their lack of understanding on the concept of integration, personnel of member states' l delay in the relay of vital information. All tertiary institutions in Ghana have core courses which must be passed as a pre-requisite for certification irrespective of the chosen programme of study. In the University of Ghana, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology(KNUST), University of Cape Coast and the University of Development Studies, all students have to study Communication Skills and with the exception of KNUST, students in the other three also have to study African Studies. In Ashesi University, a private liberal arts institution, Africana studies is compulsory for all students. The concept of a compulsory pre-requisite for certification extends to other tertiary institutions.. This means that there is an existing framework through which the concept and principles of regional integration could be introduced into these institutions guaranteeing that irrespective of the discipline, graduates from these institutions would at the minimum, be aware of the existence of the regional integration project. One of the basic challenges with realising the objectives of both the LPA and the Abuja Treaty has been how to marry practitioner aims and objectives with academic instruction. With the exception of a few academics who research and write in the area of regional integration, there is limited connection between the region's agenda and the education offered in its tertiary institutions. Yet, the universities remain the knowledge production unit out of which the skilled manpower required by institutions is generated. Thus, the needs of the consumer must be factored into the production process to ensure that the end result meets the requirements of the client (the sub region). 192 Asante S.K.B.,“Regionalism and Africa's Development: Expectations, Reality and Challenges”,(London: MacMillan Press Ltd, 1997) p.149