The paper authored by Franklin Cudjoe, President of IMANI Center for Policy and Education, looked at possible impacts (negative and positive) of regional integration initiatives which Ghana had (direct or indirect) on its economy, hypothesizing that, the integration process had been beneficial to the Ghanaian economy. With a focus on the economic impact, the study aimed to identify the qualitative and quantitative effects of regional integration initiatives on the various sectors (agriculture, infrastructure, financial services, and industry) of the Ghanaian economy focusing on some major dynamics of ECOWAS, the African Union, and the country’s own experiences with other trade blocs outside of the West African sub-region and the continent at large. It further intended to use Ghana as a case study for regional integration efforts on the continent.

On the panel were: Ambassador Francis Tsegah– Senior Fellow, CDD-Ghana, Mrs. Akin-Olugbade-Resident Representative, AfDB, Ghana, Mr. George Boateng-Research Analyst, African Center for Economic Transformation, Dr. Joseph Kwadwo Asenso-Real Sector Division, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning, Franklin Cudjoe -President-IMANI, and Dr. Christian Regobeth K. Ahortor-Deputy Chief Manager, Empirical Studies and Ad Hoc Assignment Office, Department of Economics, Bank of Ghana.