Developing Country Studies (ISSN: 2225-0565)

Description

The proposed Tripartite Free Trade Area (T-FTA) of the EAC-SADC-COMESA in eastern and southern Africa
has been received with both optimism and pessimism in many quarters. The optimism concerning the prospects
of the proposed T-FTA, though often exaggerated, is not totally unfounded as it could help African Economic
Community (AEC) strengthen intra-RECs, and inter-RECs integration by reducing the incidence of multiple
memberships and proliferation of regional economic groups and subgroups, among other things. With the use of
qualitative method and some indices from the secondary sources, and by propounding a new theory of post-neofunctionalism,
a combination or a synthesis of neo-nationalism and post-nationalism, this paper concludes that
the proposed Tripartite Free Trade Area (T-FTA) would be confronted with some potential challenges capable of,
not just overcoming, but torpedoing these prospects. The paper seeks to deconstruct and problematize neofunctionalism
in Africa as well as rejects neo-functionalist, one-size-fits-all, state-centric or inter-governmental
approach to integration in Africa, and rather recommends bottom-top, humanistic, people-centric or privatesector-
driven approach to integration, or people-to-people integration. The study is essentially prognostic.