| Abstract: |
The Economic Development is important for the countries of the African continent because of many problems in all fields, especially the Economic field, this is clear in many of the indicators, such as the low rate of Economic growth; hence, low per capita income distribution, and the low level of education and health care, also exacerbate debt, and the low level of agricultural and industrial production and others, make the continent has distinctive characteristics of the pattern of the backward economy, which represents a logical extension of the colonial legacy. Although the African continent is rich in many natural resources, yet the performance of African governments in the field of Economic development has been disappointing throughout the post-independence period. The development policies pursued by the most of the African political systems and their different ideology beliefs led to the imposition of Economic reforms severe proposed by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the so-called program of Economic Reform and Structural Adjustment that ended with negative results on the economy of Africa, consequently, the Constitutive Act of the African Union includes the unity and integration of the African Continent and its development. This study receives its importance from the fact that Egypt is a member of the African Union, and it will benefit with the increased Economic development of the continent. And so on the premise that the African Union has positive impact in the field of Economic development in the African continent. The approach used pluralism methodology such as function-based approach on the basis that the African Union has objectives and functions measured by the success or failure, and the analytical approach to the study of the role of the African Union in the Economic development of the African continent, taking Egypt and COMESA model. This study seeking to find to answer some questions such as: Did the African Union help Economic development of the continent? What are the most important challenges that offset Egypt from joining Economic groups in Africa for example COMESA as one of the communities under the umbrella of the African Union, and what are the most important challenges facing trade exchange between Egypt and COMESA countries and how to overcome those challenges to achieve the hopes of the continent? This study consists of three sections, the first section includes a theoretical framework for the study which the African Union in terms of growing up in the context of theories of integration and organizational structure, and the most important goals of the African Union. The second section deals with Economic development issues that have been addressed through the leaders of the African Union, and the efforts made to achieve Economic development, and the most important challenges facing the African Union in Economic development. The third section deals with the applied fram work of the study and concerning Egypt and COMESA as one of the Economic groups of the African Union, in terms of exports and imports of Egypt from COM ESA compared to total exports and imports of Egypt>s total and the most important markets of Egypt from the other word, then the position of customs exemptions within the COMESA exports and imports of members, also trying in the changes of the GDP as an indicator of Economic growth in Egypt and the values of exports and imports of Egypt from union countries, and finally to identify the main obstacals trade between Egypt and COMESA countries and how to address these obstacals; during the period from 1998 to 2012. \
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