United States of Africa: Positioning the Pan-African Parliament and Court in the political union debate

This research paper by Godfrey M Musila examines the potential role of the Pan-African Parliament and the proposed African Court of Justice and Human Rights within a hypothetical continental political union for Africa, arguing that both institutions would require significant reform to function in such a system.

• The author asserts that regardless of the specific model selected for a continental political union, it will be absolutely necessary to reform the Pan-African Parliament and the African Court of Justice and Human Rights as they are currently structured.
• For the African Court, the paper suggests three potential reform models based on the powers granted to the institution: a model similar to the Supreme Court of the United States for a federal system, the European Court of Justice for a 'confederate' system, or a hybrid format.
• The paper argues that the legislative mandate of the Pan-African Parliament will be determined by the specific nature and structure of the adopted political union.

APA

Musila, G. M. (n.d.). United States of Africa: Positioning the Pan-African Parliament and Court in the political union debate. Institute for Security Studies. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/united-states-of-africa-positioning-the-pan-african-parliament-and-court-in-the-political-union-debate

Chicago

Musila, Godfrey M. United States of Africa: Positioning the Pan-African Parliament and Court in the political union debate. Institute for Security Studies, n.d. https://issafrica.org/research/papers/united-states-of-africa-positioning-the-pan-african-parliament-and-court-in-the-political-union-debate.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Musila |first1=Godfrey M |title=United States of Africa: Positioning the Pan-African Parliament and Court in the political union debate |publisher=Institute for Security Studies |url=https://issafrica.org/research/papers/united-states-of-africa-positioning-the-pan-african-parliament-and-court-in-the-political-union-debate |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{musilandunited, author = {Musila, Godfrey M}, title = {{United States of Africa: Positioning the Pan-African Parliament and Court in the political union debate}}, institution = {Institute for Security Studies}, url = {https://issafrica.org/research/papers/united-states-of-africa-positioning-the-pan-african-parliament-and-court-in-the-political-union-debate}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }