The Contribution of Trade Openness to Economic Growth

Regional economic integration in Africa gained momentum in the early 90s. It was characterized by the implementation of structural reforms and the conclusion of numerous free-trade agreements. Regional economic integration has had a major impact on the strategic depth of our countries. The main objective of our study is to analyze the contribution of trade openness to economic growth. The analyses were carried out on seven WAEMU countries over the period 1990-2015. The estimated model is Hendry’s error correction model (ECM). Trade openness plays a catalytic role, without necessarily being an ultimate determinant of growth. For this, it is necessary to favor a policy of selective openness to protect certain sectors.