[en] This article examines the process of regional integration in the Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC). CEMAC lags behind other regional organisations on the continent in terms of the free movement of people, goods and services. To remedy this situation, CEMAC has developed a number of institutional frameworks (treaties, protocols, declarations, etc.) aimed at removing borders between Member States and deepening cross-border cooperation. The objective of this contribution is to verify the practical implementation of these institutional frameworks, which are supposed to foster the development of cross-border cooperation. The hypothesis put forward is that border regions participate in the materialisation of these dynamics. This explains the choice of the northern Gabonese province (Woleu-Ntem) and the southern region of Cameroon. These distinct territorial entities share a common border separating Gabon from Cameroon. This is why this study is part of the border studies framework. The methodology used is based on a combination of documentary research, field observation and semi-structured interviews conducted between July and September 2022. The results identify the border not as a barrier, but rather as an area of resources from which many players (states, local authorities, border residents) benefit. In addition to the field survey, we drew on a number of previous studies to arrive at this result. Research by Oyaya (2001) focuses on the a-spatial dimension of customs union theory and the marginalisation of regional realities. Next, Tsafack Nanfossi and Tamba (2003) examine the driving forces behind economic integration in Central Africa. Nguema Engo (2007) then looks at the initiatives taken by border towns to promote the well-being of resident populations and improve relations between border localities. Loungou (2010) and Zogo Nkada (2011) then examine the free movement of people in the CEMAC area. The first analyses the differences between Member States on this issue, with countries that are reluctant (Gabon and Equatorial Guinea) and those that are in favour (Cameroon, Congo, Central African Republic and Chad). The second is a comparative study of the state of construction of free movement between CEMAC and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). This is subject to numerous obstacles in CEMAC, whereas it is effective in ECOWAS. Finally, the work of Boudzanga (2013) highlights the resistance of the central powers in Gabon and Cameroon to the virtuous decentralisation process. In the first part, the article outlines the foundations of regional integration: its specific features and the factors that contribute to its development. The second part, on the other hand, contributes to the analysis of these different issues, between the elements that contribute to the strengthening of cross-border cooperation and the obstacles and brakes that obstruct its growth. Finally, the last part is devoted to demonstrating that the border is a resource for border regions and the State. For this reason, attraction mechanisms are designed to seize this resource.

[fr] Cet article porte sur le processus d'intégration régionale dans la Communauté Économique et Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale (CEMAC). Cet espace communautaire présente un retard en matière de libre circulation des personnes, des biens et des services vis-à-vis des autres intégrations régionales sur le continent. Pour y remédier, la CEMAC a entrepris l'élaboration de plusieurs cadres institutionnels (traités, protocoles, déclaration, etc.), dont les finalités sont de parvenir à un démantèlement des frontières entre États membres et à un approfondissement des coopérations transfrontalières. Dès lors, cette contribution a pour ambition de vérifier la mise en œuvre concrète de ces cadres institutionnels censés favoriser le développement des coopérations transfrontalières. L'hypothèse énoncée est que les régions frontalières participent à la matérialisation de ces dynamiques. Cela explique le choix de la province gabonaise du Woleu-Ntem, située au nord du Gabon, et de la région Sud du Cameroun. Ces deux entités territoriales distinctes partagent une frontière commune, qui sépare le Gabon du Cameroun. La méthodologie utilisée repose sur la combinaison d'un corpus documentaire (articles scientifiques et de presse, rapports officiels), de l'observation de terrain et des entretiens – avec les fonctionnaires, les élus locaux, la population frontalière, les commerçants et les routiers.