“The paper looks at current efforts to build regional governance institutions in Africa, through post-1990 treaties. For instance, the 1991 Treaty of Abuja (Article 91) and the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU)(Articles 17, 22) provide for greater participation of African civil society and the grassroots in the affairs of AU organs like the Pan African Parliament (PAP) and the Economic, Social and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC). The paper reflects on whether these treaties represent a break with the past as well as addressing past failures, including efforts towards nurturing institutions underpinning regional integration. To interrogate this question further, the paper will discuss the challenges facing regional governance and institution-building in Africa, specifically by invoking past experiments in regional integration and the attendant threats to the growth of these nascent regional institutions.”
