Lack of popular participation and official accountability has resulted in widespread social injustice and gross inequalities in many African countries, breeding civil strife (Obasanjo and Mosha 1993). Peace without justice is not sustainable. Alleviation of poverty and broad-based participation in governance will promote regional peace and security.
Regional economic communities need to develop convergence criteria that require member states to be more accountable, responsible, and transparent and that guarantee the independence of the judiciary, that create collaborative mechanisms to promote dia-logue and narrow differences between opposition and ruling parties, that put the inter-ests of the nation above personal interinter-ests, and that strengthen the ability of parliaments and their legislative committees to be effective instruments of checks and balances.
Continental, regional, and subregional treaties, protocols, and institutional mecha-nisms on integration need to incorporate provisions allowing for regional and subre-gional intervention in the internal affairs of member states under certain grave conditions, such as serious human rights abuses, threats to the civilian population, or unconstitutional attempts to overthrow a democratically elected government. And the African Union Security Council should become fully functional without delay and streamline these efforts.
Education and training institutions should play a pivotal role in Africa’s quest for durable peace, security, and good governance and in regional integration. The specific function of educational systems was stated succinctly in the United Nations Educational, Social, and Cultural Organization Articles of Incorporation: “As war begins first in the minds of men, so it is first in the mind that peace-making must begin. To this end, educational curricula need to adapt to the imperatives for peace, justice, security, good governance, and regional integration in Africa”.
Many conflicts in Africa are based, at least in part, on inconclusive elections and un-resolved electoral disputes. Therefore, each regional economic community should Pooling markets by
removing internal barriers should be accompanied by removing restrictions on factor mobility
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establish an elections management and supervisory commission with representatives from media institutions, business groups, civil society organizations, human rights groups, women’s organizations, and other interested parties. The functions of the commission should include:
• Collaborating with each country’s election commission to manage general presi-dential and parliamentary elections. Such collaboration should begin at least six months before elections to empower the electorate and add regional legitimacy and credibility to the results of elections.
• Working with international election observers and monitors from such groups as the Organization of African Unity (now the African Union), the European Union, the Commonwealth, and U.S. monitors such as the Carter Center, National Democratic Institute, and the National Republican Institute.
• Mobilizing regional and international resources (expertise, finance, and equip-ment) for free and fair elections in member states.
• Jointly certifying all member states’ general presidential and parliamentary elec-tions in collaboration with international monitors, observers, and state election commissions.
Member states of regional integration communities should declare an annual com-memorative week on “Regional Integration” to instil a sense of belonging in the pop-ulation at large. During that week a broad-based national committee of stakeholders and constituencies should plan and implement programs and activities on peace, jus-tice, security, governance, and regional integration. Participants should come from schools, colleges, universities, businesses, ministries and departments of education, youth, and sports, political parties, women’s organizations, and other civil society non-governmental organizations. The support and participation of development partners, donors, and U.N. agencies would also be useful.
Conclusion
Regional integration efforts in Africa, though moving in the right direction and broadly based, are sorely inadequate. Between 1994 and 1996 integration surged across regional economic communities and economic sectors, but since then there has been stagnation—
and sometimes backsliding. Lack of significant progress does not bode well for integra-tion and points to the enormous challenge that the nascent African Union faces in boosting Africa’s integration to levels comparable to those in other regions.
Regional economic communities, as the main operators of regional integration, have not received the supranational authority required to ensure implementation of collec-tive decisions and enforce policy convergence. They need to be rationalized and empowered to act on behalf of their member countries. Deeper, more coordinated, more effective regional integration means giving these institutions the authority to
Regional economic communities need to be rationalized and empowered to act on behalf of their member countries
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oversee the implementation, monitoring, and coordination of regional integration activities. By working together under the ambit of the African Union, they could be more successful in their integration efforts.
Financing regional integration is another critical constraint, reflected in the under-funding of regional economic community secretariats and regional and continental integration programmes. Regional initiatives remain financially strapped and lack an effective constituency. The slow pace of regional integration can also be traced to polit-ical conflicts and resource constraints. Conflicts dissipate national resources and sow discord among members of regional economic communities, and they complicate the regional political agenda.
Renewed integration efforts are less likely to succeed without decisive steps to remove such institutional, economic, and political constraints. Priorities should be strengthen-ing productive capacity and broadenstrengthen-ing participation in integration by developstrengthen-ing a more prominent role for the private sector. To sustain integration, sectoral and inter-sectoral regional links will be necessary. The African Union should take the initiative in reinvigorating the process, setting priorities for Africa’s integration agenda.
Implementation of regional integration schemes raises three broad issues. First, mech-anisms must be identified to channel information on the potential benefits from inte-gration to all parties involved, so that a broad consensus for the process can be created.
Second, appropriate incentive-compatible schemes are required to lock in the com-mitment of states to implement agreed treaties.Third, action among regional and inter-national institutions must be coordinated to provide economic integration initiatives with the necessary support and backup.
African countries need to move quickly to sustain the African Union. Africa cannot afford to fail in this noble enterprise of regional integration. African leaders and the African people have a historic opportunity to realize their cherished dream of unity.
They must act individually and collectively to advance the agenda of the African Union.
Action among regional and international institutions must be coordinated to provide economic integration initiatives with the necessary support and backup
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