ACCELERATING AFRICA’S INTEGRATION Through Micro-regionalism:The Case of Zambia-Malawi-Mozambique Growth Triangle and Its Impact

About the Book

“This book is about accelerating Africa’s integration through the application of the growth triangle concept. Filled with rich experiences backed by research, this book is also a powerful account of how African countries’ border areas---many of which largely marginalized and clash points of conflicts---can be transformed into vibrant socio-economic security zones through local-regional development efforts. This book equally creates a necessary kind of working environment where micro-regionalism is given a significant role to play in addressing some of the protracted challenges associated with our continent’s “larger” groupings. A valuable piece of work and absolutely required reading for all of us (politicians, academics private sector, development practitioners, NGOS)”

About the Author

Olubanke King-Akerele, or Banke, as she is known generally, is a Li- berian and former Minister of Foreign Affairs as well as former Min- ister of Commerce and Industry of the Government of Liberia, over the period 2006-2010. Prior to her period of public service, she was engaged for some 24 years in international development at senior levels with the United Nations system, notably, UNIFEM (today’s UN Women), UNDP, UNIDO, and UNESCO. She is a graduate in econom- ics from Brandeis University, in the USA, with subsequent graduate level work at the masters’ level at Columbia University and at North- eastern University in the U.S.A. She is the author of several Articles with her most recent publication entitled “Women’s Leadership in Post-Conflic Liberia: My Journey” which documents her five years of public service in Liberia, and the challenges faced instituting reforms in that post-conflict country. Kojo Boafo Asiedu is Senior Policy Advisor in International Develop- ment with a focus on regional integration and development equity. He is a member of, and Special Advisor to the Executive Board of the Hilary Clinton- initiated African Women Empowerment Programme (AWEP) based in Lusaka, Zambia, and until recently Policy Advisor to the ZMM-GT Secretariat. Before that he served as a Regional Coor- dinator of UNDP Programme for Innovative Cooperation Among the South (PICAS), which was managed from UNDP- Zambia, and dealt with exchange of development experiences among African and Asian countries. He was previously also UNDP Technical Assistance Expert at the African Regional Centre for Technology based in Dakar, Sen- egal, where he later became Director of that Centre’s Research and Technology Consulting Services Division. More recently, Kojo was a member of AU/UN team of experts who helped create the Specific Reconstruction and Development Zone (SRDZ) in the Great Lakes Region. Kojo holds a PhD from Georg-August University, Goettin- gen, Germany, where he was also a Research Associate. Kojo is a Ghanaian and former University Senior Lecturer ,and au- thor of several peer reviewed books and policy briefs on international development. He also consults for a number of multilateral and bi- lateral development agencies and policy think tanks including UNDP, UNESCO, FAO, UNIDO, JICA, and Institute for Security Studies.