Regional trade agreements proliferated in Africa in the wake of independence from colonial rule. For the most part these agreements failed to deliver the regional integration and economic benefits that were promised, and amounted to little more than a propaganda coup for the leaders that signed them.This book explores conventional explanations of the failure of these agreements, and challenges the accepted wisdom, highlighting the symbiotic relationship between 'Big Man' politics and crony capitalism. The rise of second generation regional trade agreements in the first decade of the twenty-first century emphasises the pressing need for a revised assessment of the aims, consequences and scope of these agreements. This book focuses on the revitalized East African Community to examine the potential benefits of modern agreements to foster economic development and the hurdles that must be overcome to realise this potential.

Post-colonial Africa is littered with regional trade agreements that amounted to little more than a photo opportunity for the leaders that signed them. This book explores conventional explanations for past failures and posits a new theory rooted in the symbiotic relationship between authoritarian politics and crony-capitalism.