Regional parliaments and African economic integration

This article analyses the parliamentarization of regional organizations through the lens of African economic integration. Following successful independence movements, regional integration in Africa has evolved rapidly with many regional organizations envisaging a form of parliamentary cooperation. This is only sparsely accounted for in the literature. We know little about the underlying factors that inspire African regional parliamentarization and how problems associated with democracy consolidation, poverty elimination and the maintenance of peace have influenced this process. These questions are investigated through a comparative study of four regional parliamentary bodies that cover Africa's major integration projects - the Pan-African Parliament, the East African Legislative Assembly, the Economic Community of West African States Parliament, and the Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum. Insights from Latin America, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, the European Union and North America are also selectively given to provide a comparative and contextual perspective. The analysis of African regional parliaments begins with an assessment of the narratives informing their institutionalization by examining their proclaimed objectives and motives, followed by an appraisal of their structure, powers and functions. On this basis, the article queries the benefits and constraints of regional parliamentary action. The inquiry concludes with a critical evaluation of regional parliamentary blueprints and discusses the dynamics shaping the evolution of transnational democracy.