scholarly journals Pan-Africanism in the 21st century: African union and the challenges of cooperation and integration in Africa

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 283-311
Author(s):  
Sharkdam Wapmuk
Keyword(s):  
21St Century ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
African Union ◽  
African Unity ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Secondary Sources ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Pan African ◽  
Pan Africanism ◽  
Agenda 2063

The paper examines the extent to which Pan-Africanism and Pan-African vision of promoting African unity, cooperation and integration has been achieved under the African Union (AU) in the 21st century. It also assesses the challenges of cooperation and integration under the AU. The paper adopted a qualitative approach, while data was gathered from secondary sources and analysed thematically. It notes that the quest for African cooperation and integration is not new, but dates back to philosophy and vision of Pan-Africanism and Pan-African movement from the 1950s and 1960s. This movement later took roots in the continent and championed the struggle of Africans and peoples of African descent for emancipation and the restoration of their dignity, against slavery, colonialism and all forms of racism and racial exploitation, and to overcome developmental challenges. After independence, the Pan-African movement found concrete expression in the establishment of the Organization of Africa Unity (OAU) in 1963, and later transformed to the African Union (AU) in 2002. These continental organisations have served at platforms for the pursuit of Africa cooperation and integration and addressing post-independence challenges with varying successes. The paper revealed that AU’s Pan-African agenda in the 21st century including the African Economic Community (AEC), AU Agenda 2063, and the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), are not without challenges. Addressing these challenges holds the key to achieving the continental goal of unity and achieving the vision and goals pan-Africanism in the 21st century in Africa.

scholarly journals Integration associations for Sub-Saharan Africa: history and prospects for development

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (28-29) ◽  
pp. 52-62
Author(s):  
Mariia Kravchenko ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
Southern Africa ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
African Unity ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Eastern And Southern Africa

The article deals with the main integration associations of such a promising but controversial region, as Sub-Saharan Africa. The author emphasizes the continuity of regional integration associations’ formation that goes back to the colonial times, to the first half of the 20th century. Periodization of ongoing integration processes in Sub-Saharan Africa is proposed in the research. Key milestones for the further regional integration were: - 1963, the foundation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU); and the beginning of Independence for many postcolonial countries of Sub-Saharan Africa; - 1980, the Lagos Plan of Action adoption that led to the establishment in future of the following integration associations for Sub-Saharan Africa: ECOWAS, Economic Community of West African States; COMESA, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa; ECCAS, Economic Community of Central African States; - 1991, the signing of the Abuja Treaty, which called for the African Economic Community creation as the new stage for economic cooperation and integration of the continent, including Sub-Saharan Africa; - 1999-2002, the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) transition into the African Union (AU), launching of new partnerships and integration associations for Sub-Saharan Africa, increased integration. At the beginning of the 21st century, there are serious economic and political factors for disintegration in the region. Nevertheless, the following integration associations, as stated in the article, proved to be effective: SADC, Southern African Development Community; EAC, East African Community; COMESA, Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa. The author argues that the existence since 2015 the Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) between EAC, COMESA and SADC marks a significant step forward for strengthening of integration associations for Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as for the achievement of African Union’s purpose to provide the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Recent Developments in the Regulation of Investor-State Dispute Resolution: Any Lessons for the Southern African Development Community?

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 180-204
Author(s):  
Lawrence Ngobeni ◽  
Babatunde Fagbayibo
Keyword(s):  
Dispute Resolution ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Trade Agreement ◽  
Southern African Development Community ◽  
African Union ◽  
Foreign Investments ◽  
African Development ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Recent Developments

Abstract In 2016, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) amended Annex 1 of the SADC Protocol on Finance and Investment (FIP) in order to remove investor access to international arbitration or Investor-State Dispute Resolution (ISDS). The recent formation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite Free Trade Agreement (T-FTA) are factors that will likely curtail SADC’s ability to regulate foreign investments. Both AfCFTA and T-FTA are supposed to have their own investment protocols. This means that SADC faces the loss of regulatory authority over foreign investments. The recent formation of the Pan African Investment Code (PAIC) has shown that some African Union (AU) Member States want to provide ISDS for their investors, while others including SADC Members States do not. This article intends to evaluate the lessons SADC can learn from other jurisdictions in terms of the effective regulation of ISDS.

scholarly journals The ASEAN WITHOUT A CUSTOMS UNION OR A SINGLE MARKET CONSEQUENCES OF THE ASEAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY BLUEPRINT 2025

2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 101-127
Author(s):  
Moh Firstananto Jerusalem
Keyword(s):  
Economic Integration ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Single Market ◽  
Integration Theory ◽  
Customs Union ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Market Economic ◽  
Asean Countries ◽  
Asean Economic Community

Abstract In the ASEAN Economic Community blueprint 2015 the term “single market” was used as a goal of economic community. Theoretically, single market is a level of economic integration after customs union. Under that blueprint, customs union could have a chance to be established as a necessary prerequisite for single market. However, the new blueprint 2025 does not adopt single market concept anymore. Different terms have been introduced namely “integrated and cohesive economy” and “unified market”. This article aims at assessing economic integration concept adopted in the ASEAN Economic Community blueprint by utilizing content analysis. It will review the change of concept by employing economic integration theory in order to indicate the direction of economic community goal. The finding is that the change of terms reflects the change of concept. As a result, ASEAN Economic Community will have a different direction in pursuing economic integration. Therefore, under the new blueprint ASEAN will not proceed to customs union and single market. However, it will remain at free trade area level of economic integration. In addition, ASEAN will not be a close trade block but tend to be an open regionalism in relation to non-ASEAN countries or regions. Keywords: ASEAN Economic Community, Customs Union, Single Market, Economic Integration, Open Regionalism.

scholarly journals Euro-Mediterranean relations and their heading. On the way to a differentiated multilateralism?

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (No. 1) ◽  
pp. 31-48
Author(s):  
E. Cihelková
Keyword(s):  
European Economic Community ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
Conditioning Factors ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
The World ◽  
Research Questions ◽  
The Eu

The European Union pays a primary attention to the development of neighbouring relations; it means the relations with countries in the immediate vicinity of its external borders. This is done for the sake of prosperity, stability and the spread of democratic values in the world. In this sense, a kind of the privileged region have always created the states of the Southern and Eastern or eventually Northern Mediterranean with which the European Economic Community began to develop cooperation immediately after its formation. Then since the mid-1990s, the EU set out a goal to create a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area and thus to move closer to the interlacing of the two entities in the form of integration. The outline of the process of development of Euro-Mediterranean relationships (including the changes of bilateral approaches and the conditioning factors) is the objective of this article. It is divided into three sections, which cover different stages of the development of these relationships over time and escalate in terms of two-way approaches to a new quality of cooperation (including the three stated research questions). The result of these relationships could become a Euro-Mediterranean Alliance that is outlined as a differentiated form of multilateralism in the conclusions of the paper.

Advancing Regional Integration in Africa through the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA)

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
F. A. Ismail
Keyword(s):  
Trade Liberalization ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
World Bank ◽  
Regional Integration ◽  
Industrial Development ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
African Union ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
The World Bank ◽  
The World

AbstractThe past decade and a half of the new millennium has ushered in dramatic changes to the architecture of world trade creating both opportunities and challenges for Africa’s development. The paper is critical of the recent paper of the World Bank that resuscitates the approach to trade liberalization and regional integration propagated by the Washington Consensus. The paper argues that African countries should adopt a “development integration” approach to regional integration that seeks to combine trade liberalization, industrial development and infrastructure development. The paper urges the World Bank and Africa’s trading partners from the north and south, such as the EU, the US and China, to work closely with the African Union to advance the negotiations and implementation of the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA) and the African Union Agenda 2063.

Ghana’s Akufo-Addo faces economic diplomacy challenges

2021 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
International Trade ◽  
Free Trade ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
African Union ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Economic Diplomacy ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Social Tensions ◽  
Trade Partners

Significance However, the success of Akufo-Addo's second term could depend in large part upon effective economic diplomacy with regional and international trade partners now the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) has become operational. Impacts Ghana will push for all African Union (AU) members to ratify the AfCFTA to secure its position as a regional hub. Economic plans may heighten existing social tensions within Ghana, notably Western Togoland, if growth is not shared equitably. More AU members will likely undertake full ratification of the AfCFTA to not be left outside of lucrative continental markets.

Organization for European Economic Cooperation

1959 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 169-173 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Free Trade ◽  
European Economic Community ◽  
Free Trade Area ◽  
Economic Cooperation ◽  
Economic Community ◽  
European Economic ◽  
Trade Area ◽  
Real Progress ◽  
Tariff Reductions

The Intergovernmental Committee of Ministers engaged in negotiating the proposed free trade area met in Paris, July 24–25, 1958. It was reported that following the session, the chairman of the group, Mr. Reginald Maudling, expressed hope for a definite agreement on most major issues. He stated that if real progress toward an accord were attained, less importance would be attached to the much-discussed proposal to extend to the members of OEEC the 10 percent tariff reductions to be made among the members of the European Economic Community.

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