One Africa, Many Nations: Why and How African Nations Should Unite Through Sovereignty-Preserving Economic Integration
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53819/81018102t2611Abstract
Calls for African unity have been a constant of the continent's political thought since independence, yet what unity should mean in practice remains contested. This article consolidates a leadership-oriented policy framework with an integrative review of the literature on regional integration, pan-Africanism, trade, infrastructure, climate, human capital, and security to address two questions: why should African nations unite, and how? Drawing on integration theory, continental legal instruments, and recent evidence from the African Union, the AfCFTA Secretariat, Afreximbank, UNCTAD, the World Bank, and the United Nations, it argues that the most realistic path is neither political federation nor the status quo, but sovereignty-preserving functional integration. It identifies ten interlocking rationales for integration, examines the role of the eight Regional Economic Communities, including IGAD, the EAC, and ECOWAS, and considers recent initiatives such as the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project, the Africa Climate Summits, and the Africa Carbon Markets Initiative. It then proposes a five-stage pathway (trade, infrastructure, people, finance, and political coordination) within a seven-layer model of integration. The analysis reveals a persistent gap between ratification and implementation: 50 of 54 signatories have ratified the AfCFTA, yet only four states have ratified the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, and intra-African trade remains between roughly 14 and 18 percent of total African trade. The article concludes that Africa's unity should be practical before it becomes political, and that leadership, variable geometry, and credible implementation mechanisms are decisive.
Keywords: African integration; AfCFTA; pan-Africanism; regional economic communities; sovereignty; free movement of persons; value chains; leadership
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