Puzzling Over the Pieces

This research paper by the South African Institute of International Affairs (SAIIA) evaluates the progress and challenges of regional integration in Africa, drawing primarily on Country Review Reports (CRRs) from the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). It examines the gap between the African Union's high-level rhetorical commitments to a continent-wide common market and the practical realities of limited trade growth, administrative incapacity, and political reluctance to cede national sovereignty.

• While there is a strong rhetorical and institutional commitment to regional integration, actual progress is limited; no regional economic community (REC) has advanced beyond the stage of free trade areas or customs unions.
• African states demonstrate a persistent reluctance to relinquish national sovereignty to supranational authorities, which serves as a primary obstacle to implementing integration protocols.
• The 'spaghetti bowl' phenomenon of multiple memberships in various RECs creates conflicting objectives and administrative burdens, making deeper integration, such as customs unions, non-viable.
• Intra-African trade remains very low compared to other global regions; between 2007 and 2011, African exports within the continent accounted for only 11% of total merchandise exports.
• Economic barriers to integration include the fear of losing customs revenue and the tendency of larger economies to protect local industries through tariffs, which undermines the rationale for open regional markets.
• Severe infrastructural deficits, particularly in paved roads and power generation, act as a physical barrier that renders political commitments to integration meaningless in practice.
• Regional integration efforts have been largely statist, excluding the private sector and civil society, which limits the ability to identify practical business blockages and drive economic growth.
• Security instability, including civil wars and terrorism, diverts the attention of regional bodies and leads countries to close borders, further impeding integration.
• The East African Community (EAC) is identified as one of the more successful 'progressing' RECs due to strong political leadership and the complementarity of member states' economies.
• Macro-economic convergence targets required for monetary unions and common currencies are routinely missed across various blocs, including the EAC, COMESA, ECOWAS, and SADC.

APA

Corrigan, T. (2015). Puzzling Over the Pieces. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Research-Report-18.pdf

Chicago

Corrigan, Terence. Puzzling Over the Pieces. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2015. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Research-Report-18.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Corrigan |first1=Terence |title=Puzzling Over the Pieces |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=January 2015 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Research-Report-18.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{corrigan2015puzzling, author = {Corrigan, Terence}, title = {{Puzzling Over the Pieces}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2015}, month = jan, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Research-Report-18.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }