Abstract:
This chapter focuses on the current setup of regional
integration efforts within the African continent focusing on their
origins, political economic challenges that have characterized
African integration, and the prospects that integration has for the
continent. Africa’s regional integration is assessed from the
perspective of the complexities associated with globalization and
the resultant political-economic structure it has created. It argues
that an understanding of Africa’s integration and its prospects for
the continent’s future can be understood from an informed
analysis of integration efforts since African states attained political
independence in the 1950s and 1960s. This has cast Africa’s
integration efforts in a complex web of emergent political and
economic factors. The chapter asserts critical developments
towards deeper integration under the auspices of the African
Union’s African Economic Areas (AEAs), the African Continental
Free Trade Area (AfCTA), and Africa’s Agenda 2063 which are
significant milestones the continent seeks to achieve. This is
underpinned by a series of political challenges ranging from
political instability, political turmoil, political and diplomatic
differences among states, lack of political will, and lack of
commitment to the implementation of the policy frameworks that
are required to actualize Africa’s integration agenda. The continent in the meantime has generated positive economic outlooks that
could jumpstart the much-needed economic growth. This presents
an opportune moment for African states, business leaders,
policymakers, governmental and non-governmental leaders,
academics as well as other African and foreign stakeholders to
ponder the path that African integration must take to realize the
continent’s growth and development prospects. It is this delicate
political economic mix that is worth exploring to identify critical
aspects that African integration is enveloped in. Philosophically,
the chapter is guided by Karl Popper’s philosophy of piecemeal
social engineering which advocates for a piecemeal approach to
policy issues as opposed to rapid changes. It argues that borrowing
from past lessons learnt from Africa’s integration efforts, the
continent can build on them and put in place pragmatic
frameworks that can ensure that viable options are considered. It
presents a number of recommendations on how African states
need to reorient the continent’s integration agenda in order to
achieve their goals.
