Transcending Member States: Political and Legal Dynamics of Building Continental Supranationalism in Africa

This book explores innovative and context-driven political and legal policy measures designed to expand the powers of the African Union (AU) to drive continental integration. It emphasizes the importance of considering issues of context, political will, and inclusive approaches as key elements in achieving this goal. The book highlights recent efforts to grant the AU broader powers, such as financing through a tax on imports, reducing the number of AU Commission portfolios, and adopting the African Continental Free Trade Area and Agenda 2063 policy framework. The success of these processes depends on the existence of quality-driven institutions.

Format: Hardback
Length: 167 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2022
Publisher: Springer International Publishing AG

This comprehensive book delves into groundbreaking and context-driven political and legal policy measures aimed at enhancing the authority of the African Union (AU) to effectively propel the continental integration process. In this regard, the book underscores the significance of considering contextual factors, political will, and innovative and inclusive approaches as vital elements in shaping the trajectory of African integration.

Currently, Africa is embarking on a pivotal phase of its integrative development, marked by a growing commitment to establish policies and practices that grant the AU broader powers to coordinate and establish binding rules regarding the regional integration process. In essence, these endeavors aim to confer upon the AU supranational powers akin to those wielded by the European Union, despite the latter's internal challenges.

To achieve this, significant steps have been taken, including the decision to finance the AU through a 0.2% tax on eligible imports into member states; the reduction in the number of AU Commission portfolios from eight to six; the adoption and entry into force of the highly anticipated Agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area; the adoption of the Protocol to the Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community Relating to Free Movement of Persons, Right to Residence, and Right of Establishment; and the adoption of the AU Agenda 2063 policy framework in 2015.

The impact of these processes on the direction of regional integration in Africa is a subject of profound interest in this book. The author argues that the success of these endeavors hinges largely on the existence of quality-driven institutions that can effectively oversee and facilitate the implementation of these policies. By examining the interplay between contextual factors, political will, and innovative approaches, this book offers valuable insights into the future of African integration and the role that the AU can play in shaping a more prosperous and inclusive continent.

Weight: 453g
Dimension: 235 x 155 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9783031124501
Edition number: 1st ed. 2022