Political integration does not have a good track record in Africa and attempts at even small-scale political union have generally failed. The former French federations of western Africa disintegrated and the attempted Senegambian Federation sank without trace. Apart from the temporary unification of Ethiopia and Eritrea, the only major change to Africa’s borders since independence has been the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
So where revolutionary change has failed, Africa now seems content to follow the gradual, economic harmonisation approach, as exemplified by the European Union and its previous incarnations. In west, east and southern Africa, a number of bodies have grown up, aiming to emulate European success. The Southern Africa Development Community (SADC), the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the East African Community (EAC) are all attempting to bring African states economically closer together.
The aim of each of these bodies is not only to bring direct economic benefits through increased trade and greater efficiency, but to promote peace and stability in the continent. Countries which trade a great deal with each other and whose economies are closely interwoven are unlikely to risk disruptive conflict.

Read the full story in the February 2002 edition of African Business Magazine

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