#Africa101 is an ongoing series of explainer articles for topics that are essential for understanding the current landscape and trends on the continent.
Photo: World map by Lara Mukahirn (Nicolas Raymond/ Flickr)
An introduction to RECs
From the European Union to USMCA, neighboring countries have long sought to deepen economic ties and increase trade, and the case is no different in Africa. The dozens of sovereign nations on the continent have formed a number of regional groupings over the years, with many countries often being members in multiple groups.
In Africa, a subset of these groups is known as regional economic communities or RECs. RECs are generally focused on bringing together nations to promote economic integration and cooperation within a particular region.
There are eight recognized RECs (and a number of subregional groupings we will also mention), each with its own set of member states, objectives, and governing structures. They also play a critical role in promoting economic development and integration on the continent. However, one common theme to keep in mind, as noted by Tralac, is that: “REC membership is not based on a neat architecture.”
A closer look at regional groupings
The African Union recognizes the following RECs (number of member states in parentheses):
Arab Maghreb Union (5) | Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania | |
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (21) | Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe | |
Community of Sahel–Saharan States (29) | Benin, Burkina Faso, Central African Republic, Chad, the Comoros, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, the Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, the Sudan, Togo and Tunisia | |
East African Community (7) | Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Uganda, and Tanzania | |
Economic Community of Central African States (11) | Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Rwanda and Sao Tome and Principe | |
Economic Community of West African States (15) | Benin, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo | |
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (8*) | Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda, *Eritrea is currently inactive | |
Southern African Development Community (16) | Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, eSwatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United Republic Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe |
Interested in taking a closer look at RECs?
Check out the European Council on Foreign Affairs’ interactive maps of African regional cooperation.
Other regional groupings in Africa
Other groupings exist across the continent but are not considered RECs or have missions different from those of RECs.
For example, the Mano River Union (MRU) counts Liberia, Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Côte d’Ivoire as members, and it even has goals similar to those of a REC: greater unity, solidarity, and cooperation, extending across trade, employment, and security. However, perhaps due to having only two founding members (Liberia and Sierra Leone) and its relatively small regional influence, it is not recognized as a REC.
In a similar vein, SACU, or the South African Customs Union, calls itself a “regional economic organization” and all five of its members (Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Namibia, and South Africa) are also members of the larger SADC REC. However, SACU members are far more integrated in terms of trade as they “maintain a common external tariff, share customs revenues, and coordinate policies and decision-making on a wide range of trade issues," and this integration goes above and beyond what RECs typically ask of members.
We've created the graphic below to illustrate the membership of RECs and regional groupings (like MRU and SACU) and give a sense of how complex and overlapping this ecosystem has become over the decades.
The impetus for RECs in Africa
The formation of RECs and, more broadly, regional integration efforts in Africa began in the 1960s, as newly independent African countries sought to promote regional cooperation and integration in the wake of colonialism. At the time, many African countries faced significant economic challenges, including limited infrastructure, low levels of industrialization, and heavy reliance on exports of primary commodities (a model established with colonialism and continued into the modern era).
In response to these common challenges, African leaders began to explore the potential benefits of regional integration, including increased trade, investment, and cooperation.
The major players
One of the first RECs to emerge in Africa was the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which was established in 1975. The primary goal of ECOWAS was to promote economic cooperation and integration, with a focus on reducing trade barriers, increasing regional trade, and promoting industrial development.
Since its establishment, ECOWAS has expanded its membership to fifteen countries (see the list above) and has made significant progress in promoting regional economic integration, including the establishment of a common external tariff and the development of a regional investment code.
Another key REC in Africa is the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), which was established in 1994 by nineteen countries in Eastern and Southern Africa.
Like ECOWAS, COMESA was created with the goal of encouraging cooperation and promoting economic integration through a reduction of trade barriers to spur regional trade. Since its establishment, COMESA has expanded its membership to twenty-one countries and has made significant progress in promoting regional integration, including the establishment of a customs union and the adoption of a regional investment policy.
The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is another important REC in Africa, established in 1980 by nine countries in Southern Africa. SADC was created with similar economic and cooperative benefits in mind as ECOWAS and COMESA. Since its establishment, the REC has expanded its membership to sixteen countries and has made significant progress in promoting regional integration, including the establishment of a free trade area and the adoption of a regional investment protocol.
Other RECs are no doubt impactful in their respective region, but arguably, ECOWAS, COMESA, and SADC carry enormous weight on the continent and are key when looking at potential future integration trends.
Challenges
Despite their benefits, RECs in Africa face a number of challenges. One of the biggest challenges is the lack of political will among member states to fully implement regional integration initiatives. Many member states continue to prioritize national interests over regional cooperation, which has limited the effectiveness of RECs in promoting economic development and integration.
Another challenge is achieving cooperation and coordination among their member states. RECs often have member states with different economic, political, and social systems, which can make it difficult to achieve consensus and agreement on policies and initiatives. As well, members states have different bureaucratic capacities, making for an uneven implementation of agreements and protocols.
In addition, member states may have different levels of economic development and varying interests, which can create disparities and tensions within the community. The fact that many nations are members in multiple RECs (as evidenced by the above graphic) also complicates and hampers integration efforts.
Final note
By promoting trade, investment, and cooperation, RECs have helped to increase economic growth, create jobs, and improve living standards across the continent. They have also played a key role in promoting regional peace and stability, by providing a platform for dialogue and cooperation among member states.
RECs have also contributed significantly to economic integration in Africa. The IMF confirmed as much in a January 2021 report about regional trade integration (RTI) on the continent, explaining that the "results of the instrumental variable and panel fixed-effects estimation show that RTI promotes economic growth in Africa," but also noting that "[RTI] fosters income divergence, reflecting the distribution of the gains from regional integration in favor of the more developed economies of the continent."
While they are far from perfect institutions and the overlapping membership complicates progress and implementation at times, RECs continue to play – and will continue to play – an important role in promoting regional integration and economic development in Africa.