Effect of Economic Risk on Regional Financial Integration in Africa

The study investigated the effect of economic risk on regional financial integration in African from 2006 to 2022. Nigeria and South Africa were selected to represent two African regions (West and Southern regions). Economic risk was proxied by inflation rate, debt service, parallel foreign exchange rate and foreign trade, while net capital inflow was used to proxy regional financial integration. The estimation technique used in the study was panel regression analysis. Findings from the study revealed that foreign trade, parallel foreign exchange rate and debt service, exhibited a significant positive effect on net capital inflow. The study therefore concluded that implementation of stable macroeconomic and "investor friendly" policies will dramatically increase net capital inflows into African economies.