Delivery Delays: Reasons, Issues & How to Fix Now

Regional integration in Africa faces significant hurdles despite decades of efforts to foster economic growth and development, stemming from historical dependencies, informal business practices, and a lack of clear objectives. The African Union agreed in 2019 to establish the African Continental Free Trade Area, building upon the foundations laid by eight regional economic communities.

The Burden of Colonial Dependency

At the 1885 Berlin West Africa Conference, European powers asserted their authority “to regulate the conditions most favourable to the development of trade and civilization … in Africa.” A 1973 study of Foreign Investments in the East African Common Market found that most of Africa’s post-colonial regional integration arrangements were rooted in pre-independence links and institutions. The East African Common Market, for example, evolved from Britain’s colonial East African Federation and now exists as the East African Community, though recent expansion has threatened its cohesion.

Ecowas was the first to move beyond these colonial patterns, encompassing countries formerly under French, Portuguese, and British rule. However, post-colonial association agreements between the European Union and African, Caribbean and Pacific countries continue to prioritize the extraction of raw materials for processing in Europe, hindering the development of local industries.

Informal Nature of Business Activity

Colonial rule suppressed indigenous enterprise, forcing many businesses to operate informally. Since independence, many African governments have failed to address this historical pattern, often criminalizing informal economic activity. As of 2023, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa estimated that informal cross-border trade accounts for 30% to 72% of formal trade between neighboring countries, excluding a significant portion of African enterprise from the benefits of regional integration.

Integration as an Add-On, Instead of a Shared Future

African countries often approach regional integration as an addition to existing colonial arrangements rather than a fundamental reimagining of their economic relationships. There are currently over 156 such arrangements across the continent’s 55 countries, leading to overlapping memberships and conflicting objectives. The African Union’s recognition of eight regional economic communities aimed to address this issue, but overlaps persist.

For instance, Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo both belong to the East African Community and the Southern African Development Community. Eritrea and Sudan were simultaneously members of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States. French-speaking West African countries participate in both Ecowas and the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa.

Addressing Mission Creep

Popular discontent with continuing colonial influences is growing in parts of Africa. Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger recently exited Ecowas following strained relations with France, but remain members of l’UEMOA, whose currency system is backed by France.

Effective solutions require addressing barriers to informal trade, particularly for women who conduct over 70% of it. This necessitates improved frontier regimes and policies that encourage lawful enterprise. Rationalization of integration arrangements is underway, with Ecowas losing 25% of its membership since 2000 and Rwanda withdrawing from the Economic Community of Central African States and Eritrea from IGAD.

However, a lack of clarity in the mission of Africa’s integration arrangements remains a challenge. These regimes have taken on responsibilities related to collective security and governance oversight, with outcomes that have been unconvincing and, at times, destabilizing. The recent exit of Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger from Ecowas exemplifies this issue. A clear political commitment to a shared future is needed to prioritize economic integration and improve the continent’s prospects.