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From OAU to AU: Rethinking Supranational Governance in Africa

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The Palgrave Handbook of African Politics, Governance and Development

Abstract

The transformation of the Organization of African Unity (OAU) into the African Union (AU) in 2001 placed in sharp focus the need to endow continental structures with the powers to make binding rules and regulations for the enhancement of Africa’s integrative efforts. This supranational aspiration is espoused through the legal and institutional framework of the organization. In specific terms, the Constitutive Act endows the AU with the powers to coordinate the activities of the regional economic communities, intervene in member states, and determine and monitor the implementation of common policies. This chapter will place the continental integration efforts within the supranational paradigm by dissecting some of the peculiar problems hindering effectiveness, and will then posit measures for redressing these obstacles.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of South Africa, Pretoria, South Africa

    Babatunde Fagbayibo

Authors
  1. Babatunde Fagbayibo
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Thabo Mbeki African Leadership Institute, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa

    Samuel Ojo Oloruntoba

  2. Department of History, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA

    Toyin Falola

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Fagbayibo, B. (2018). From OAU to AU: Rethinking Supranational Governance in Africa. In: Oloruntoba, S., Falola, T. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of African Politics, Governance and Development. Palgrave Macmillan, New York. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-349-95232-8_47

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