Abstract: Historically, ideas and endeavors of integration and economic cooperation were closely linked to development. Economic integration has been considered as one of the important methods to accelerate economic development. Many developing countries, including African ones, saw it as a way out of the irregular ties with old colonial powers and replaced them with collective dependency among them, as economic blocks have become a feature of the twentieth century. The African countries have been involved in many organizations, and they have established their own continental organizations as well, in addition to the establishment of many other sub regional organizations in different regions of the continent. This article seeks to read the map of economic blocks in Africa and classify it in groups according to their activities, interests, identify, and the most important opportunities and challenges facing them. Accordingly, the article addressed the historical development of the idea of economic integration in the continent and the most important economic groupings emerged in Africa and their classifications. It also discussed the future of economic groupings in Africa in light of the existing opportunities and challenges. The study concluded with two basic results, as follows: 1- Despite the multiplicity of causes responsible for the weak political and economic performance, and the marginalization of African countries in the global economy, the divisive and fragmentary nature of the African continent remains the main constraint and the stumbling block to the continent’s growth and development; 2 - The continent does not lack more covenants, treaties, documents, institutions or organizations related to different aspects of cooperation between its countries as whole or as sub-regions, but it lacks the implementation of obligations and activating institutions. This requires members of different organizations to exert a lot of institutional effort and make the necessary economic adjustments. They also require greater mutual trust between member states in a way that reduces adherence to the rigid meaning of the concept of "sovereignty" to achieve the goals of those organizations. Because of those organizations, at the heart of which are the African Union, have not lived up to fulfilling the hopes of the African people, they will lose their credibility and, more importantly, the historic opportunity to realize those hopes will be lost.
الملخص: على الرغم من كثرة تناول موضوع «التكامل الاقتصادي»؛ فما زال الغموض يحيط بهذا المفهوم، ويُرجع البعض ظهور الجهود التكاملية والوحدوية في قارة إفريقيا إلى الصراع الفكري حول إشكاليتَيْن رئيستَيْن، تتعلق الأولى بإقامة وحدة فورية لدول القارة، أو إنجاز ذلك على مراحل؟، والثانية تتعلق بالسياسة الاقتصادية الواجب اتباعها لتحقيق التنمية الاقتصادية. وتاريخيّاً؛ ارتبطت أفكار ومساعي التكامل والتعاون الاقتصادي بالتنمية ارتباطاً وثيقاً، باعتباره- أي التكامل- أحد الأساليب المهمّة للإسراع بالتنمية الاقتصادية، فانخرطت دول القارة في العديد من المنظمات، فأسست منظماتها القارية الخاصّة بها، علاوةً على إنشاء كثيرٍ من الدول منظمات إقليمية فرعية في المناطق المختلفة من القارة. ويسعى هذا المقال إلى رصد خريطة التجمعات الاقتصادية القائمة على الساحة الإفريقية، وتصنيف تلك التجمعات من حيث الأنشطة والاهتمامات، وكذلك التعرف على أهمّ الفرص والتحديات التي تواجهها.
