In the African continent, several regional initiatives have been launched or executed. These gave rise to several groupings
including COMESA consisting of 19 countries, ECOWAS (15 countries), ECCAS (10 countries), and SADC with 15 countries. These
groupings are not exclusive in that several countries belong to more than one regional group. The road to full integration
clearly begins with a regional arrangement. The many groupings in Africa had the long term goal of creating an all inclusive
African Economic Union. The objective is to promote the African continent’s economic growth, political stability, and good
governance. The paper examines the effectiveness of some of these regional grouping in the context of an all-inclusive African
club with the aid of the club model. Using data for the period 1986–2005, costs and benefits of membership are evaluated using
the gravity Model. The Helpman’s size dispersion index is used to identify a potential anchor for a regional grouping.
Keywords Regional integration in Africa - The club model - The gravity equation
JEL G11 - F15