Lessons for Africa’s Integration inspired by the EU Integration
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Lessons for Africa’s Integration Inspired by EU Integration experiencee Gabila Nubong University of Pretoria
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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
Transcript of Lessons for Africa’s Integration inspired by the EU Integration
Lessons for Africa’s Integration Inspired by EU
Integration experienceeGabila Nubong
University of Pretoria
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.
SSA Africa in Perspective
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
Speaking Points.
Key Argument & Main Conclusion
Key Argument Main Conclusion
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.
The Organs of the AUThe AssemblyThe Executive CouncilThe CommissionThe Permanent Representatives' Committee Peace and Security Council (PSC) Pan-African Parliament ECOSOCC : The Economic, Social and Cultural Council, The Court of JusticeThe Specialized Technical CommitteesThe Financial Institutions
The African Central bank; The African Monetary Fund; The African Investment Bank
Organs of the African Union
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
Framework: Models of Integration
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)
EU Integration Experience
Treat of Rome (1957)
Single Act(1986),Maastricht(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
Stages in Europe’s Integration
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
Genesis of Africa’ integration
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
Africa’s integration course
Overlapping membership, unfulfilled commitments & unrealistic goals.
Limits to integration include1.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.
Challenges with Africa’s Integration
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
Lessons for Africa from EU Exp
