The commitment of African countries and their leaders to the ideals of regional cooperation has been an integral part of the development discuss on the continent even before the wave of independence in the 1960s. The promise of regional integration is the benefits to be derived from smaller economies coming together and forming larger markets capable of attracting meaningful investments and benefit from economies of scale. Armed with this believe African economies have adopted ambitious integration targets towards the creation of an African common market by 2025. This has mostly been through the creation of European styled institutions of integration tasked with the responsibility of pushing ahead the integration agenda. The paper argues that the adoption of EU styled institutions in Africa’s integration experience without taking cognisance of the triggers,motivation and challenges these institutions were created to address,explains the more degree of implementation of regional integration commitments on the continent. It further argues that the European Unoin is infact not the fruit of a single model of integration and can consequently not be replicated in another part of the world though the lessons from its experience of integration remain useful and relevant for experiences of regional integration across the world, including in Africa. The paper closes by recommending a number of important lessons Africa can learn from Europe’s integration experience to ensure that it moves from its current stage of rhetoric and institutional proliferation to the active pursuit of development friendly regional integration agenda

1. Gabila Nubong
University of Pretoria

2. The GDP of SSA was US$744 billion, which
was equivalent of 28% of China’s GDP, 69% of
Brazil’s, 74% of Russia’s, and 80% of India’s.
The economies of South Africa and Nigeria
comprised 56% of SSA’s GDP.
Amongst the fastest growing regions in the
world currently.
Population of Over 1 billion huge potential
market.

3. Key argument & main conclusion.
Theoretical Framework: Models of
Integration
Europe’s Experience of Integration.
Africa’s Experience of integration
Challenges with Africa’s Integration
Lessons from European Experience

4. The integration of
Europe is not the fruit
of single model but a
coalescence of perhaps
competing models,
cannot be replicated
but offers useful
lessons for other
integration
experiences including
for Africa
Meaningful integration
for Africa would require
more than the creation of
EU styled Supranational
Institutions of
Integration. More low
level cooperation &
sector based regional
cohesion (e.g tourism) is
prerequisite to political &
economic integration.
Key Argument Main Conclusion

5. The Organs of the AU
The Assembly
The Executive Council
The Commission
The Permanent Representatives' Committee
Peace and Security Council (PSC)
Pan-African Parliament
ECOSOCC : The Economic, Social and Cultural
Council,
The Court of Justice
The Specialized Technical Committees
The Financial Institutions
The African Central bank; The African Monetary
Fund; The African Investment Bank

6. 1.Gradual creation of supranational regional
organisations + deepening econ integration.
2.Overlapping & institutional strong interstate
arrangements or regimes.
3. Complex & evolving mixture of traditional
Intergovernmentalism & emerging
suprationalism.
4.Strong regional hegemon that policies the
foreign policy of states within its sphere of
influence

7. European States driven to develop
supranational institutions: being better suited
to perform certain tasks, increase info &
reduce transaction costs (Haas,1958).
Lib InterGov: Bargains struck between nation
states, with geopolitical interests that militate
towards the pooling of sovereignty in a given
historical context.
Mix of institutional leadership with flexible
mechanisms of implementation(variable
geometry, Europe a la Carte or two speed
Europe)

8. Treat of Rome
(1957)
Single
Act(1986),Maastrich
t(1992) &
Amsterdam (1997).
Nice (2001) and
Lisbon (2007)
Solving problem of
conflict
competiveness of
common market,
financial stability &
social challenges
Enlargement &
globalisation
Creation of external
action service

9. Economically small, sparsely populated,
rudimentary production structures & poor
transport infrastructure linkages.
Economic integration seen as a means of
helping overcome the disadvantages of small
populations, narrow resource bases and
making possible higher rates of economic
growth and development.
Divergent views on pace and pathway of
integration, full political integration Vs slow
institutional groups focusing on functional
cooperation

10. Lagos Plan of Action (1980), ‘united African
economic bloc, common tariffs, parliament,
common currency in 20 yrs.
Abuja Treaty (1990)- African Economic
Community (AEC)-full economic community
over 34 years (1994-2028),six stages, ending
in economic union with a common currency,
mobility of factors & free trade.
2000, OAU-AU,NEPAD + goal of AEC by 2030
renewed, Non interference updated

11. Overlapping membership, unfulfilled
commitments & unrealistic goals.
Limits to integration include
1.Institutions of governance.
2. Structural conditions of poorly developed
economies.
3.Dependence on one or two primary products.
4.Lack of capacity to assert policy preferences
in international economic relations.

12. Meaningful integration must present clear
economic and political benefits of belonging.
Most respond to external threats&
opportunities and take cognisance of
international political reality.
Pragmatic approaches that put the interests
of the nations ahead.
Promote meaningful cooperation, build trust
as a prerequisite for deeper integration.
Integrate around a political & economic
program