POLITICS, PROSPECTS AND PROBLEMS OF REGIONAL INTEGRATION: A CASE STUDY OF THE AFRICAN UNION

Abstract

Regional integration in Africa has proven to be a herculean task. Scholars have attempted to identify what they consider to be the problems with African integration, and have suggested ways to catalyze its process. Yet, the progress of African integration so far has been embarrassingly slow. Why this is so is the focal point of this work. The paper strikes an unfamiliar note. Using the African Union as a case study, it strongly contends that the diagnosis of the real problems with African integration has proved elusive to many scholars so far, and has not been fully captured. It is contended, that most of the issues raised by scholars as ‘problems’ are no more than opportunities in the garb of problems, and that thus, scholars have problematized opportunities and created opportunities and prospects for the major issues identified in this paper, which have been responsible for slowing down the integration process. It is noted moreover, that while problems have been over-emphasized, prospects and opportunities inside, which can be leveraged upon as building blocks for African integration have been seriously de-emphasized. The real problems constituting a cog in the wheel of the integration process are also identified. The study adopts a historical method. The study draws mainly from secondary sources such as journal articles, text books, and internet materials among others. These materials are qualitatively analyzed and presented in discursive and interpretative frames. It finds that there are many opportunities within Africa for its integration which have been ignored or wrongly recognized as problems. A shift in mindset is recommended.