This year’s Africa Capacity Report takes a fresh look at an old issue: regional integration, which
attracted the attention and interest of leaders and development specialists and partners even
before the independence of African countries. Regional integration has been extensively
debated in the literature. But relatively few works have paid attention to the capacity dimension. Regional integration is a relentless reality of modern times, and it is even more important for Africa, as featured in the continental Agenda 2063. Besides being a priority and subject of discussions among the continent’s development partners and elites, regional integration is considered as a key driver and the way forward for the structural transformation of African economies. Most countries are doing well on their policy environments and having processes in place to implement policies. Countries are doing less well on achieving development results and least on capacity development outcomes. The Report and its indicators also point to the regulatory and institutional reforms needed to better support public–private partnerships in capacity investment and building—and to the investments needed to further strengthen public administration. And they spotlight the importance of political will to enhance social inclusion and development.
