Building A Strong African Union: The Question of Funding of Regional Integration

This article examines the African Union (AU), which has replaced the Organization of  African Unity (OAU) to mark a new approach to the issue of continental integration at the political level. The AU comprises more than 50 States that have different ecological, cultural, colonial, economic, and religious backgrounds. The article focuses on the factors that attract such a combination of States to come together; the likelihood of success of such a grouping; as well as the strength of the legal and constitutional basis of the unity. The analysis is made against a theoretical backdrop of the basic reasons for integration, past and current attempts at integration on the African continent, and the transition from OAU to AU. The article also cautions on the problems that beset the new organization, focusing particularly on the structure of the AU and the tricky question of its funding. The article then delves into the difficult question of making a clear choice between clinging to sovereignty on the one hand and ceding the same and joining others in unity for the common good on the other. The analysis shows, nevertheless, that either choice has a price tag on it.