The Paper looks at integration efforts in the Economic Monetary Community of Central African States (CEMAC) but seeks to push human security and development as primary efforts in this integration process. The paper concludes that there should be more succinct political will in incorporating and advancing the objectives of regional integration in the sub region. Over the years, African countries have continued to pursue programmes and activities aimed at accelerating regional integration and cooperation. Regional integration has been a major part of the agenda of African leaders, in line with the objective of establishing the Africa Economic Community (AEC). The regional communities have similar goals: strengthening economic cooperation between their member states and promoting economic development in the regions. One such regional bloc is the Communauté Economique et Monétaire d’Afrique Centrale (CEMAC) or Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa. The six member states of CEMAC are Chad, Cameroon, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Republic of Congo and Central African Republic (CAR). These states also share a common and single currency zone, the CFA franc. The Central African sub-region is endowed with natural resources such as oil, diamonds, gold, iron, cobalt, uranium, copper, bauxite, petroleum, cocoa, cotton and timber. Although it is a resource rich region, it is paradoxically made up of the poorest and least-developed countries on the continent, with two-thirds of the population living on less than US$1.25 a day. Furthermore, in the light of environmental degradation, wars (Chad, Central African Republic), corruption, human rights violations, absence of rule of law and the inability of many countries to take advantage of their opportunities and resources, it seems appropriate for the central African countries to refocus their regional efforts towards ensuring human security. This policy brief, therefore, seeks to draw attention to the critical importance of incorporating human security and development in discussions of regional integration and how this can ensure peace and stability in the Central African Region.
