The overall aim of the study is to support the regional economic integration agenda in Africa by: a) providing an outline of the role, expectations, strengths, weaknesses of and opportunities for the private sector in this process, drawing key lessons and best practices from EU experience, (b) identifying the main constraints to be removed to enable the private sector in Africa to play an effective and significant role in regional economic integration processes, including the existing or planned Free Trade Agreements (FTA) and the governance of sub-continental common markets and (c) proposing the necessary policy options, measures or reforms to overcome those constraints.