Economic Integration

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Institutional Architecture and Capacity

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REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS:

NOTE: Click on the institution's title, to view the website.

Africa Business Network

The Africa Business Network is oriented towards the needs of investors in Africa. For small businesses, it provides general business help and "how-to" information in formulating a business plan, starting a business, financing and managing it. It also includes a variety of information for larger businesses. ABN brings in one place information on resources from IFC, its partners and others that can help increase the quantity and quality of private investment in Africa. ABN's Country Information Center has extensive business and economic information for investors.

African Accounting Council (AAC)

Member countries: All member states of the OAU

Date founded: 1979

The AAC is a Specialised Agency of the Organisation of African Unity(OAU). It provides assistance to institutions in member countries on standardisation of accounting and promotes education, further training and research in accountancy and related areas of study. The AAC has its headquarters in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo.

The activities of the AAC are currently being hampered by the ongoing war in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it has its headquarters.

African Airlines Association (AFRAA) / Association des compagnies aériennes africaines

Member countries:Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gabon, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libyan AJ, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, and Zimbabwe

Date founded: 4 Apr 1968, Accra, as Association of African Airlines (AAFRA), with 15 founder members. Present name adopted May 1974.

The Association aims to promote and develop safe, regular, economical and efficient air transport services to, from, within and through Africa; study associated problems; foster closer Cupertino among African air transport enterprises; promote and foster inter-African commerce and tourism; serve as a common forum to voice views of member airlines on matters and problems of common interest; provide assistance in obtaining easier movement of passengers, cargo, mail and aircraft of member airlines; and promote the more rapid development of air navigation, communication and air transport facilities in Africa.

Date founded: 1971

African Association for Public Administration and Management (AAPAM) provides senior government officials with opportunities for exchanging ideas and experience, to promote the study of professional techniques and encourage research in particular African governance and administrative problems. Membership is made up of 500 individuals and 50 corporate members.

African Centre for Applied Research and Training in Social Development (ACARTSOD) / Centre Africain de recherché appliquée et de formation en mature de développement social (CAFRADES)

Member countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Rep, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Libyan AJ, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda,

Date founded: 1977

The Centre aims to promote and co-ordinate applied research and training in social development and assist African countries in formulating national development strategies. It provides training of high-level personnel; undertakes research programmes, including promotion of rural development programmes; assists national universities and institutes in the field of training; develops indigenous teaching and research materials; initiates and maintains relations with similar institutes within and outside the region, organises seminars; provides documentation service. Projects include: comparative study of African social security systems; evaluation of social development in the light of the Lagos Plan of Action; survey of social development and training institutes in Africa.

African Centre for Monetary Studies

Date founded: 1978

African Centre for Monetary Studies is established as an organ of the Association of African Central Banks by virtue of a decision by the OAU Heads of State. It is aimed generally at promoting better understanding of banking and monetary matters. It provides the opportunity to study monetary problems of African countries and the effect on them of international monetary developments. Furthermore it enables African countries to coordinate strategies in international monetary affairs.

The African Centre for Technology Studies (ACTS) is an international inter-governmental policy research and training organization located in Nairobi, Kenya. The Centre's activities focus on the implementation of Agenda 21 and related conventions on biological diversity, climate change and desertification. ACTS was established in 1988 in Nairobi, Kenya, to undertake policy research and related activities on the application of science and technology to sustainable development. In 1992, ACTS revised its mandate to focus on implementing the results of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), including Agenda 21 and the conventions on biological diversity, climate change and desertification. On June 30, 1997, ACTS gained an international status when its Charter was signed by governments of Kenya, Uganda, Malawi and Malta as well as the Third World Academy of Sciences and the International Centre for Research in AgroForestry (ICRAF). The Centre's research and capacity development activities seek to provide new sustainable interventions for policy communities in Africa and the rest of the world.

ACTS carries out its activities through three main organizational divisions: Capacity Development, Research Programmes, and Policy Outreach. The core activity is its capacity development training, which provides training in policy research and analysis to policy-makers and researchers in Sub-Sahara Africa. The training activities are supported by research activities through the biopolicy, climate change policy, and the Governance and sustainable development programmes.

African Civil Aviation Commission (AFCAC)/ Commission Africaine de l'aviation civile (CAFAC)

Member countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Rep, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Congo DR, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan AJ, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia

Date founded: 15 June 1974, Addis Ababa

The Commission provides members with a framework for co-ordination and co-operation in all civil aviation activities; promotes co-ordination, better utilisation and development of African air transport systems; encourages application of ICAO standards and recommendations; promotes integration and harmonisation of civil aviation policies in Africa. It was established as a specialized agency of OAU.

Date founded: 1963

The African Development Bank (ADB) (also known as Banque Africaine de Développement) is a major development bank in Africa. It was established in 1963 by the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) with start-up capital of $250 million in order to promote economic and social development. Since then it has grown into a $33 billion, multinational development bank, with 52 African and 24 other shareholders. ADB is backed by both African members and other overseas principals to provide Africa with greater independence from offshore credit. The ADB finances project and programme investments in member states, with a focus on regional projects. Affiliates of ADB include the African Development Fund (ADF) and the Nigeria Trust Fund.

The African Development Bank is the premier financial development institution of Africa, dedicated to combating poverty and improving the lives of people of the continent and engaged in the task of mobilising resources towards the economic and social progress of its Regional Member Countries. The Bank’s mandate as stipulated in Article 1 of the Agreement Establishing the Bank is to: "contribute to the economic development and social progress of its regional members - individually and jointly". The Bank’s mission, therefore, is to assist Regional Member Countries (RMCs) to break the vicious cycle of poverty in which they are entrapped. Working towards this goal, the Bank would endeavour to facilitate and mobilise the flow of external and domestic resources, public and private, promote investment, and provide technical assistance and policy advice to RMCs.

African Development Fund (ADF) / Fonds africain de développement (FAD)

Date founded: 29 Nov 1972

It aims to assist the African Development Bank in making an increasingly effective contribution to the economic and social development of its members and to the promotion of co-operation (including regional and sub-regional co-operation) and increased international trade, particularly among members; provide African countries with loans on soft terms tailored to African requirements.

African Economic Community (AEC)

Members: all countries in the OAU

Date founded: 1994

The Treaty came into force in May 1994, following its ratification by the required two-thirds of OUA Member States. The setting up of the Community will be mainly achieved by coordination, harmonization and progressive integration of the activities of the existing regional communities and will last 34 years divided into 6 uneven stages. Has also been referred to as Continental Common Market.

Its aim is to promote economic, social and cultural development as well as African economic integration in order to increase self-sufficiency and endogenous development; create a framework for development, mobilization of human and material; promote cooperation and development in all aspects of human activity in view of raising the life standards, maintaining economic stability, establishing close and peaceful relationship between member states; coordinate and harmonize policies between existing and future economic communities; coordinate the integration of regional economic communities progressively in 6 stages: -1- reinforcement of regional economic communities (5 years); -2- stabilization of tariffs, and other barriers to intra-community exchanges and reinforcement of sectorial integration (8 years); -3- creation of free trade area (10 years); -4- creation of African customs union (2 years); -5- creation of African common market (4 years); -6- consolidation of common market (5 years).

Member countries: Nigeria, Senegal, The Gambia, Mali, Niger, and Sudan.

Date founded: 1964

This association advises producing countries on marketing policies and administers compensation fund on behalf of members. It ensures remunerative prices for groundnut and its by-products in the world market; promotes groundnut consumption, organizes exchange of technical and scientific information on research relating to the production, marketing and possible uses of groundnuts, and promotes solidarity among member States.

Member countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zimbabwe.

Date founded: 1962

The primary purpose of IDEP is to undertake a wide range of activities related to economic development and planning in Africa with the aim of promoting and defending the economic independence of African countries. Specifically, it conducts training courses of short-term and long-term duration on different aspects of development and planning, organises - in co-operation with appropriate national agencies and regional and international institutions, conferences, seminars and workshops on specific subjects related to African development; undertakes research on topics of current interest to member States which constitutes a basis for policymaking; provides direct consultancy /advisory services to African countries on development issues, focusing on practical and concrete problems, and maintains an information and documentation service on economic development and planning experiences in African countries.

Member countries: Angola, Burundi, Benin, Central African Republic, Democratic Rep of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Equatorial Guinea, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Togo, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Congo, Zimbabwe

The Institute studies common problems concerning African coffee, including production, processing and marketing in order to ensure the smooth disposal of production and the optimum level of selling prices and collaborates with national, regional and international organisation with similar aims.

Date founded: July 1992

The Africa Institute for Policy Analysis and Economic Integration (AIPA) is an economic think-tank which was established in July 1992 in Cape Town to undertake high-level, inter-disciplinary and non-partisan research on African developmental issues. Its establishment was motivated by the recognition that one of the main reasons for the failure of African countries to generate sustainable economic growth and development is the critical shortage of indigenous professional and technical skills for indigenous policy research and the formulation of implementable development programs. It is in this context that AIPA is undertaking research aimed at identifying problem areas and formulating strategies for their resolution. AIPA is also playing a catalytic role in facilitating the implementation of the research findings through appropriate national and regional mechanisms and instruments.

Members: insurers, reinsurers, brokers and supervisory authorities in 42 African countries.

Date founded: 1972

The African Insurance Organization promotes the expansion of the insurance and reinsurance industry in Africa and assists in regional cooperation. In the bid to practicalize its goals, the organization has established African insurance "pools" for aviation, petroleum and fire risks, holds annual conference and arranges meetings for reinsurers, brokers, consultants, supervisory authorities and actuaries in Africa. Furthermore, it has created the African Insurance Educators' Agency, the Association of African Insurance Brokers and the Association of African Insurance Supervisory Authorities.

Date founded: 1988

This organisation was established in 1988 by an amalgamation of African Association of Cartography and African Council for Remote Sensing. It aims to encourage the development of cartography and of remote-sensing by satellites. It organises conferences and other meetings, and promotes establishment of training institutions. Its regional centres are located in Burkina Faso, Kenya, Nigeria and Tunisia.

Member countries: Cameroon, Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, and Sierra Leone, Uganda

Date founded: November 1990

It was founded in joint collaboration between IDRC, UNESCO, and the Federal Government of Nigeria, an autonomous unit in the Faculty of Education of the University of Ibaden (Nigeria) with the status of an institute. It aims to train and retrain high-level personnel for Africa in information science, essentially through seminars, workshops and higher degree programmes; inculcate the spirit of service in all academic and technical staff of ARCIS, especially in regard to the information services components of Research and Development programmes in Africa; engage in problem-resolution research into all aspects of information services in Africa; serve as a reservoir for consultants in information science to African Governments and institutions, both in the public and private sectors; provide necessary expertise in the establishment, updating and application of appropriate standards for the construction, maintenance and effective utilisation of manual and computerised databanks and databases for the socio-economic development of Africa as a whole and ECOWAS Member States in particular.

Member countries: Ghana, Gambia, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe

Date founded: December 1976

The history of ARIPO goes back to the early seventies when a Regional Seminar on patents and copyright for English-speaking African countries was held in Nairobi. That seminar recommended that a regional industrial property organization be set up. In 1973 the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) responded to a request by these English-speaking countries for assistance in pooling their resources together in industrial property matters by establishing a regional organization. Following a number of meetings at ECA headquarters in Addis Ababa and WIPO in Geneva, a draft Agreement on the Creation of the Industrial Property Organization for English-speaking Africa (ESARIPO) was prepared. This agreement, now known as the Lusaka Agreement, was adopted by a Diplomatic Conference held in Lusaka, Zambia on December 9, 1976. ESARIPO was therefore born on the 9th December 1976. The Lusaka Agreement came into force on 15th February 1978. From that date ECA and WIPO acted as a joint Secretariat of ESARIPO until the 1st June 1981 when the Organization established its own Secretariat. In December 1985, the Lusaka Agreement was amended in order to open up the membership of the Organization to all African states members of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa or the Organization of African Unity (OAU) and changed its name to the African Regional Industrial Property Organization (ARIPO) in order to reflect its new pan- African outlook.

ARIPO was mainly established to pool the resources of its member countries in industrial property matters together in order to avoid duplication of financial and human resources. ARIPO aims to modernise, harmonise and develop industrial property laws of member States; to foster the establishment of a close relationship between member States in matters related to industrial property; and to assist its members in the acquisition and develop technology relating to industrial property.

Member countries: Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Cameroon, Egypt, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Libya, Mauritius, Malawi, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan, Senegal, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, Democratic Rep. of Congo, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Date founded: 1977

The Institute promotes standardisation activities in Africa; elaborates regional standards to promote social, industrial and economic development; provides consumer protection and human safety by advocating and establishing activities concerning standardisation in Africa and also promotes the harmonisation of views of its members and their contribution and participation at the international level in the field of standardisation.

Member countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Libya, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Zambia, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Date founded: December 1999

African Telecommunications Union (ATU) was established by the 4th Extra Ordinary Session of the Conference of Plenipotentiaries of the Pan African Telecommunications Union (PATU) on 7th December 1999 as the successor to the Pan-African Telecommunications Union, which was established by the 12th Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) at Addis Ababa on 7 December, 1977 as the Specialised Agency of the OAU in the field of telecommunications. The vision of the Union is to make Africa an equal and active participant in the Global Information Society. The mission of the Union is to promote the rapid development of info-communications in Africa in order to achieve universal service and access, in addition to full inter-country connectivity, in the most effective manner. The objectives of the Union are to: promote the development and adoption of appropriate African telecommunications policy and regulatory frameworks; promote the financing and funding of telecommunications development; promote programmes for the development of the African Information Society; prepare special programmes for Africa's Least Developed Countries (LCD’s) and rural telecommunications development; promote human resources development in the field of info-communications; promote the establishment of info-communications industries; co-ordinate the strategies and positions of Member States in preparation for and at international meetings; promote regional co-ordination in areas of value-added services, equipment certification, technical standards and harmonisation of tariffs; seek to harmonise the actions of Member States and Associate Members in the telecommunications sector; foster co-operation and partnership between and among Member States and Associate Members; promote and encourage the exchange of information, expertise and technology relating to info-communications for the benefit of all Member States and Associate Members; and undertake studies in the field of info-communications for the benefit of Member States and Associate Members.

Member countries: Angola, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Ghana, Liberia, Sao Tome and Principe, Tanzania and Dem. Rep. of Congo

Date founded: 1976

The African Timber Organization ensures a continuous exchange of information and mutual support among member countries concerning their forestry management, timber marketing and industrialization policies; coordinates commercial policies in member countries, in particular as regards: prices; product designations, terminology and gradings; standardization of conditioning and quality control; tax matters. It alsi ensures study of freight rates and shipment procedures suitable for African products and promotes cooperation among member countries in negotiations in this regard; carries out technological and industrial research, in particular on unknown or little known tree species; conducts market surveys on African timber and ensures its promotion; coordinates industrialization policies among member countries; harmonizes policies of reforestation, and forestry and environmental management; coordinates supervisory training policies; studies alternatives and implement the efficient formation of an African timber market and promotes close cooperation between landlocked and and coastal countries, in particular for studying new ways of transportation.

African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development/CAFRAD

Member states: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d’Ivoire, Demo. Rep. Of Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome & Principe, Sierra Leone, Somalia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Togo, Tunisia and Uganda

The African Training and Research Centre in Administration for Development (CAFRAD) is a Pan-African Intergovernmental organisation concerned with the revitalisation of public administration and management in Africa: It deals with critical issues facing African countries; serves as clearinghouse for exchanging and disseminating knowledge and information in African public administration and management; provides a high-level for discussions by African governments of common problems; enhances capacity building; and operates in three official languages: Arabic, English and French

CAFRAD is a Pan-African institution located in Tangier and open to all African countries. Its creation dates back to the Moroccan initiative presented at the 12^th General Assembly of UNESCO and supported by 10 other African countries. CAFRAD’s main mission is "to contribute to the study (and the solution) of administrative problems inherent in the economic and social development in Africa". It attains this through research, training, and consultancy.

Members: 10 African and 12 Asian associates

Date founded: 1962

The Afro-Asian Rural Reconstruction Organization (AARO) acts as a catalyst for cooperative restructuring of rural life in Africa and Asia. It assists in exploring collectively, opportunities for coordination of efforts to promote welfare and eradicate malnutrition, disease, illiteracy and poverty amongst rural people. AARO's activities include collaborative research on development issues, training assistance in forming organizations of farmers and other rural people. It encourages exchange of information, international conferences and seminars. AARO awards 100 individual training fellowships at nine institutes in Egypt, India, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Malaysia and Taiwan.

Member countries: Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Mauritania, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates.

Date founded: 1976

Arab Authority for Agricultural Investment and Development (AAAID) helps to accelerate the rate of agricultural development in the Arab world and to assure food security. It acts primarily by equity participation in agricultural projects in Iraq, Sudan and Tunisia.

Date founded: November 1973

Created by the Arab League, BADEA was to contribute to Africa's economic development by providing all or part of the financing required for development projects and by supplying technical assistance to African countries. A total of 41 countries are eligible for BADEA aid. All members of the OAU except the member countries of the League are recipient countries.

BADEA is run by Boards of Governors and Directors. The Board of Governors is the highest authoritative organ of the Bank. It comprises finance ministers of Arab League member states and meets annually to examine the Bank's activities in the past year and to provide the resources required for the tasks assigned to it in the coming year.

The Bank's assistance consists mainly of loans on concessional terms for development projects, not exceeding US$15 million or 50% of the total cost of each project. Technical assistance is also provided, and Arab investment in Africa is encouraged. The special Arab Assistance Fund for Africa (SAAFA), established in 1972 to provide loans for Africa, was integrated with BADEA in 1977. Most projects are co-financed with other organizations or countries chiefly Arab or predominantly Arab aid organizations (including the OPEC Fund and the Islamic Development Fund), western industrialized countries, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. The sectoral distribution of aid is determined by development priorities adopted by African countries themselves.

Members: individual agricultural scientists, research institutions, organizations in the agricultural sciences in Africa

Date founded: 1968

The Association for the Advancement of Agricultural Science in Africa (AAASA) promotes the development and application of agricultural sciences and the exchange of ideas. It encourages Africans to enter training and holds seminars each year in different African countries.

Member countries: Burundi, Cameroon, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Libya, Morocco, Madagascar, Mauritius, Malawi, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sudan, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Tunisia, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Democratic Rep. of Congo

Date founded: 1968

Association of African Central Banks (AACB) aims to promote co-operation in monetary, banking and financial matters in the Africa region; to assist in the formulation of general policies to be followed by African States in concluding payments and financial agreements among themselves; to assist in establishing monetary and financial stability in the Africa region, and to examine international economic and financial arrangements in which African countries have an interest.

Members: 26 African countries

Date founded: 1974

This organisation was established under the aupices of the ECA and the OAU. Its main concerns are to encourage regular trade contact between African states and assist in the harmonization of their commercial policies in order to promote intra-Afrcian trade. In line with its goals, it publishes the following journal as information guides to members: African Trade (monthly); Directory of Trade Promotion Institutions in Africa; Directory of State Trading Organizations; Directory of Exporters and Importers of Food Products in Africa; Calendar of Major Trade Events in Africa; African Trade Perspective (on individual countries).

Member countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Botswana, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mauritius, Morocco, Mozambique, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Date founded: November 1967

The Association of African Universities is an international non-governmental organisation set up by the universities in Africa to promote co-operation among themselves and between them and the international Academic community.

The AAU was formed at a founding conference in Rabat, Morocco, attended by representatives of 34 universities who adopted the constitution of the Association. This followed earlier consultations among executive heads of African universities at a UNESCO conference on higher education in Africa in Antananarivo, Madagascar, in 1962 and at a conference of heads of African universities in 1963 in Khartoum, Sudan.

The AAU is the apex organisation and principal forum for consultation, exchange of information and co-operation among the universities in Africa. Its objectives are to promote interchange, contact and Cupertino among university institutions in Africa; to collect, classify and disseminate information on higher education and research, particularly in Africa; to promote Cupertino among African Institutions in curriculum development, and in the determination of equivalence of degrees; to encourage increased contracts between its members and the international academic world; to study and make known the educational and related needs of African university institutions and, as far as practicable, to co-ordinate the means whereby those needs may be met; to encourage the development and wider use of African languages; to organise, encourage and support seminars and conferences between African university teachers, administrators and others dealing with problems of higher education in Africa.

La Banque Centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO)
[The Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO)]

Pays members: Bénin, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinée-Bissau, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Sénégal, et Togo

Date de création: 1962

La Banque Centrale des Etats de l'Afrique de l'Ouest (BCEAO) est l'Institut d'émission commun aux huit Etats membres de l’Union Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UMOA). BCEAO est un établissement public international dont le siège est fixé à Dakar. Outre l'émission des signes monétaires dans les Etats membres de l'Union dont elle a le privilège exclusif, la BCEAO a en charge: la centralisation des réserves de devises de l'Union ; la gestion de la politique monétaire des Etats membres de l'Union ; la tenue des comptes des Trésors des Etats de l'Union et la définition de la loi bancaire applicable aux banques et aux établissements financiers.

Pays membres: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinée Bissau, Mali, Niger, Sénégal, Togo

Date de création: novembre 1973

C’est une institution commune de financement du développement des Etats de l’Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA) pour promouvoir le développement équilibré des Etats membres et de réaliser l'intégration économique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest en finançant des projets prioritaires de développement rural, infrastructures de base, infrastructures modernes, télécommunications, énergie, industries, transport, agro-industries, tourisme et autres services.

Other than the major groupings thus far considered, there exists a number of bilateral trade agreements, mainly between the Republic of South Africa on the one hand, and several of the regional countries on the other.

Among the regional bilateral agreements involving South Africa, the main ones are those with Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Mozambique. The agreement between South Africa and Zimbabwe dates back to 1964, a year after the dissolution of the Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland and a year before Rhodesia’s unilateral declaration of independence from Britain. The agreement is a very complicated document that applies to a positive list, which, over time, has become a smaller proportion of total bilateral trade. It allows for duty-free trade in unprocessed food and a range of rebates on selected manufactured items. Because the agreement is so complicated, it is difficult to assess its impact on bilateral trade flow. Zimbabwe conducts a very large share of its trade with South Africa, much more than the economic size of South Africa would justify. The latter is indeed Zimbabwe’s most important trading partner. However, one can hardly attribute this outcome solely to the existence of the limited trade agreement between the two. Long-standing economic, entrepreneurial and cultural ties between the two countries, the unique circumstance of both having been under economic sanctions for a protracted period of time, geographic proximity and the relatively large size of the manufacturing sector in both are probably equally if not more important in explaining the very large share of South Africa in Zimbabwe’s trade.

South Africa’s agreements with Malawi and Mozambique involve unilateral tariff concessions by South Africa on some imports from the latter. Finally, there are two free trade agreements between Zimbabwe and Botswana and Zimbabwe and Namibia. The interest of Zimbabwe in the these agreements is to compete more effectively with South African producers who thanks to SACU, have unimpeded access to the latter’s markets.

Pays membres: Bénin, Burkina-Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Sénégal, Togo, Guinée-Bissau

Date de création: décembre 1996

La Bourse Régionale des Valeurs Mobilières (BRVM) est une société anonyme au capital de deux milliards neuf cent quatre millions trois cent mille (2.904.300.000) francs FCA dont 13,50% proviennent des Etats de l’Union Economique et Monétaire Ouest Africaine (UEMOA), le reste étant réparti entre les Sociétés de Gestion et d’Intermédiation (SGI), les Chambres de Commerce et d’Industrie, les Institutions sous-régionales et d’autres personnes ou entreprises privées de l’UEMOA. La BRVM a en charge l’organisation du marché boursier et la diffusion des informations boursières ; pour cela elle garantit les opérations suivantes: l’inscription des titres à la cote de la Bourse; la cotation des valeurs mobilières; la publication des cours et des informations boursières et la promotion et le développement du marché des valeurs mobilières.

Member states: Angola, Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Rep. of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Swaziland, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Date founded: December 1994

The history of COMESA began in December 1994 when it was formed to replace the former Preferential Trade Area (PTA) which had existed from the earlier days of 1981.PTA was formally borne by the Treaty of Lusaka in 1981. By the early1990s, PTA’s membership extended to eighteen countries in the region. The Treaty of Lusaka envisaged an ambitious program of internal trade liberalization; the development of industry, agriculture, human resources and communications within and between member countries; and ultimately the creation of an economic community in the sub-region. Initial action concentrated on trade promotion through tariff preferences and the establishment of the PTA ClearingHouse to minimize the use of scarce foreign exchange for internal transactions.

Dissatisfaction with PTA’s progress and the new wave of regionalism in the continent led PTA members to draw up a new treaty establishing COMESA in December 1993, which effectively replaced the PTA in December 1994. COMESA (as defined by its treaty) was established as an organisation of free independent sovereign states which have agreed to co-operate in developing their natural and human resources for the good of all their people and as such it has a wide-ranging series of objectives which necessarily include in its priorities the promotion of peace and security in the region. However, due to COMESA's economic history and background its main focus is on the formation of a large economic and trading unit that is capable of overcoming some of the barriers that are faced by individual states, and create a free trade zone that would evolve into a customs union by the year 2004 and into a common market thereafter.

Pays membres: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Cap-Vert, Côte d’Ivoire, la Gambie, Ghana, Guinée Guinée Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritanie, Niger, Nigeria, Sénégal, Sierra Leone, et Togo

Date de création: mai 1975

La CEDEAO vise à promouvoir la coopération et l'intégration avec comme but ultime la mise en place d'une union économique oust-africaine. Elle vise à éméliorer le niveau de vie des populations, à assurer la croissance économique et à renforcer les liens entre les Etats membres. Pour réaliser ces objectifs, le CEDEAO a mis en place un certains nombre de structures chargées de l'élaboration, de l'exécution et de l'évaluation des programmes et projets communautaires.

La CEDEAO a beaucoup de réalisation à son actif, notamment dans les domaines de la libre circulation des personnes et des biens, du transport, des télécommunications, les gestions des conflits et le maintien de la paix.

Pays membres: Cameroun, République Centrafricaine, Congo, Gabon, Guinée Equatoriale et Tchad

Date de création: 16 mars 1994

Le traité instituant l'UDEAC a été signé le 8 décembre 1964 par 5 pays, le démarrage de ses activités en janvier 1966. La Guinée Équatoriale a adhéré en janvier 1984. Le Traité instituant la CEMAC a été signé le 16 mars 1994 à Ndjamena (Tchad). Il est à ce jour ratifié par Décrets Présidentiels par le Cameroun, la Guinée Équatoriale et le Tchad. Ces décrets concernent également l'additif au traité relatif au régime juridique et institutionnel de la CEMAC, ainsi que la convention régissant l'Union économique de l'Afrique centrale (UEAC) et la convention régissant la Cour de justice de la CEMAC, signés le 5 juillet 1996 à Libreville. Regroupant 6 pays de l'Afrique Centrale, la CEMAC constitue un prolongement de l'Union monétaire (BEAC) et de l'Union Douanière et Économique de l'Afrique Centrale (UDEAC) dont elle prend le relais et qu'elle renforce. La CEMAC est composée de deux Unions: l'Union Économique de l'Afrique Centrale (UEAC) et l'Union Monétaire de l'Afrique Centrale (UMAC).

Elle a pour missions et objectifs principaux: l'établissement d'une union de plus en plus étroite entre les peuples des Etats membres pour raffermir leurs solidarités géographique et humaine; la promotion des marchés nationaux par l'élimination des entraves au commerce intercommunautaire; la coordination des programmes de développement; l'harmonisation des projets industriels; le développement de la solidarité des pays membres au profit des pays et régions défavorisés et la création d'un véritable marché commun africain

Pays membres: Bénin, Cameroun, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinée-Bissau, Mali, République Centrafricaine, Burkina Faso, Congo, Gabon, Guinée Equatoriale, Niger, Sénégal, Comores, Guinée

Date de création: septembre 1939

Avant la déclaration de guerre en 1939, la zone Franc, qui n'avait pas ce nom, existait de facto. Jusqu'au milieu du XIXème siècle, le franc était la monnaie en vigueur dans les Colonies françaises. Progressivement, pour mieux tenir compte de la nécessité d'adapter la distribution du crédit aux conditions locales, la France organisa l'émission de billets localement en confiant le privilège à des banques privées ( Banque de l'Algérie, Banque de l'Indochine, Banque de l'Afrique Occidentale, ...). Ces banques privées ont été soumises à un contrôle grandissant de l'administration française au fur et à mesure que les échanges s'intensifiaient entre la métropole et les colonies. Au lendemain de la première guerre mondiale étaient mis en place des mécanismes permettant l'échange des billets des colonies à parité avec ceux émis par la Banque de France. Les premiers comptes d'opération étaient créés. Zone Franc CFA est crée pour mieux tenir compte de la nécessité d’adapter la distribution du crédit aux conditions locales.

Conférence Interafricaine des Marchés d’Assurances (CIMA)

Pays membres: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Republique Centrafrique, Comores, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinée Équatoriale, Mali, Niger, Sénégal, Tchad et Togo

Date de création: 10 juillet 1992

Le 10 juillet 1992, les États membres de la Zone Franc signaient à Yaoundé un Traité instituant une organisation intégrée de l'Industrie des Assurances dans les États africains. La Conférence Interafricaine des Marchés d'Assurances (CIMA), qui se substitue à l'ancienne CICA (Conférence internationale des Contrôles d'Assurances), en constitue l'organisme communautaire. Le traité a été ratifié par tous les pays signataires de la zone Franc CFA. Les sociétés d'assurances mobilisent, en effet, une épargne importante que les dispositions du nouveau code des assurances annexé au traité permettent désormais d'affecter plus largement à l'investissement productif. En outre, il doit encourager le développement de la branche « vie », peu développée à ce jour dans de nombreux pays, et contribuer ainsi à une meilleure allocation de l'épargne. Ce programme met en place une loi unique, appelée « Code des assurances CIMA », applicable dans l'ensemble des pays de la zone, en vigueur depuis le 15 février 1995. Elle se substitue aux lois nationales anciennes, éparses et inadaptées, résultant pour l'essentiel de la transposition des lois françaises d'avant 1960.

La CIMA propose au Conseil des Ministres les révisions, améliorations et précisions à apporter à la Loi commune. La réglementation régionale porte à la fois sur les contrats d'assurances, les méthodes d'indemnisation des victimes d'accidents automobiles avec un barème indemnitaire, le fonctionnement des sociétés, les obligations incombant aux agents généraux et aux courtiers. Elle renforce le pouvoir de contrôle des États et en confie l'exercice à la CIMA. La CIMA a également la mission essentielle de contrôle des sociétés d'assurances, avec le pouvoir d'injonction et de sanction.

Pays membres: Bénin, Cameroun, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinée, Guinée Bissau, Mali, République Centrafricaine, Burkina Faso, Congo, Gabon, Guinée Equatoriale , Niger, Sénégal, Comores

Date de création: 21 septembre 1993

Le 21 septembre 1993, les 14 pays africains membres de la Zone Franc signaient à Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) un Traité instituant une organisation intégrée chargée de la gestion et du contrôle des organismes chargés de la Prévoyance sociale : La Conférence Interafricaine de la Prévoyance Sociale (CIPRES). Le traité est entré en vigueur le 10 octobre 1995. Le programme répond au souci des gouvernements et des partenaires sociaux d'obtenir à court terme des organismes et des régimes de prévoyance fiables et stables afin qu'ils puissent contribuer plus efficacement à la mise en oeuvre des politiques économiques et sociales des États. Les objectifs sont: fixer des règles communes de gestion et d'en assurer le contrôle; harmoniser les dispositions législatives et réglementaires applicables aux organismes et aux régimes et assurer une politique de formation initiale et permanente des cadres et techniciens.

Cross Border Initiative (CBI)

Member countries: Burundi, Comoros, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Namibia, Rwanda, Seychelles, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe

Date founded: 1990

The idea of CBI was borne at the Masstricht Conference on Africa in 1990 and is sponsored by all major multilateral organizations, including the IMF, the World Bank and the EU. It is a framework of harmonized policies to facilitate a market-driven concept of integration in Eastern and Southern Africa. The Initiative calls for a "road map" to trade reform whereby the signatory countries move towards a "harmonized" external tariff ranging from 5 to 25 percent with an average of 15 percent, which is considerably lower, both in level and variability, than the existing external protection in member states. The reduction in external protection is supposed to be completed by 1998, the same date set for the removal of all barriers to internal trade. The idea is that the simultaneous reduction of external protection and intra-group trade liberalization would minimize the trade diverting impact of tariff preferences and provide an incentive for the more protectionist countries to liberalize their trade regimes.

Member countries: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Date founded: 1962

The organization is primarily concerned with initiatives towards effective control of desert locust in the region. It undertakes research into the locust's environment and behaviour and conducts pesticides residue analysis. Furthermore it assists member states in the monitoring and extermination of other migratory pests such as the quelea-quelea (grain-eating birds), the armyworm and the tsetse fly. It has bases at Asmara and Dire in Ethiopia; Mogadishu and Hargesia in Somalia; Nairobi, Kenya; Khartoum, Sudan; Arusha, Tanzania; and Djibouti.

Established in 1958, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) is one of five regional commissions under the administrative direction of the United National Headquarters. Its member states are 53 African nations, represented by their ministers of finance and planning. As the regional arm of the United Nations in Africa, ECA's primary responsibility is to carry out activities encouraging the growth of the economic and social sectors on the continent. It is also part of the network of African intergovernmental institutions and organizations that implement the various agendas for development adopted by Member States.

ECA's Subregional Development Centres (SRDCs) have a pivotal role in rendering more effective services to member States in the emerging challenges of the Twenty-First century. In light of this, it was found necessary to consult with member States with a view to reaching a consensus on revitalising and strengthening them. This rationalisation process took into account resource allocation, institutional framework, location, geographical coverage and operational modalities. The five centres are: North African Subregional Development Centre (NA-SRDC); Southern African Subregional Development Centre (SA-SRDC); West African Subregional Development Centre (WA-SRDC); East African Subregional Development Centre (EA-SRDC) and Central African Subregional Development Centre (CA-SRDC).

Member countries: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Sao Tome and Principe, Angola

Date founded: October 1983, began operation in 1985

At a summit meeting in December 1981, the leaders of the Central African Customs and Economic Union (UDEAC) agreed in principle to form a wider economic community of Central African states. ECCAS was established on 18 October 1983 by the UDEAC members and the members of the Economic Community of the Great Lakes States (CEPGL) (Burundi, Rwanda and the then Zaire) as well as Sao Tome and Principe. ECCAS began operations in 1985, but has been inactive since 1992, mainly due to the non-payment of membership fees by the member states. ECCAS aims to promote regional economic co-operation and establish a Central African Common Market. The crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a divisive factor in CEEAC since Rwanda and Angola back opposing sides.

Presided over by President Pierre Buyoya of Burundi, the 2^nd Extra-Ordinary Summit of ECCAS was held in Libreville on 6 February 1998. The summit was convened to re-launch the activities of ECCAS and the Heads of State/Government present at the summit committed themselves to the resurrection of the organisation. At a summit conference of the United Nations’ Standing Advisory Committee on Security Questions in Central Africa which took place in Yaoundé on 25-26 February 1999, member states decided to create an organisation for the promotion, maintenance and consolidation of peace and security in Central Africa, which would be called the Council for Peace and Security in Central Africa (COPAX). ECCAS has been designated a pillar of the African Economic Community (AEC) but formal contact between the AEC and ECCAS has not yet been established due to the latter’s inactivity since 1992.

Member countries: Burundi, Rwanda and Democratic Republic of Congo

Date founded: 1976

The Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries is organized around the following principal organs: Annual Conference of Heads of State, Council of Ministers, Permanent Executive Secretariat, Consultative Commission, and three Specialized Technical Commissions. In addition it has three agencies: Banque de Développement des Etats des Grands Lacs, Organisation de la CEPGL pour I'Energie et Institut de Recherche Agronomique et Zoologique. Furthermore, it operates four joint enterprises, which produce electric power, glass bottles, cement and hoes. A five-year plan was adopted in 1986 for agricultural, industrial and energy projects.

Le Fonds Africain de Garantie et de Coopération Économique (FAGACE)
[African Guarantee and Economic Cooperation Fund]

Pays membres: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Republique Centrafricaine, Côte d'Ivoire, Niger, Rwanda, Sénégal, Togo et Mali.

Date de création: 1978

Le FAGACE est un établissement public international à caractère économique et financier créé en 1978. Le Mali s’y est joint en 1996. Son siège est à Cotonou (Bénin). Le FAGACE a commencé ses activités en 1981. Le Fonds participe aux financements des projets de développement de ses membres et facilite leur réalisation par des mesures d’accompagnement telles que la bonification d’intérêts, l’allongement de la durée des crédits et la garantie des emprunts. Une attention particulière est apportée aux États les plus défavorisés ou frappés par des catastrophes ou calamités naturelles.

Forum des Organisations Volontaires Africaines de Développement / Forum of African Voluntary Development Organization (FAVDO)

Le Forum des Organisations Volontaires Africaines de Développement (FOVAD) est une association internationale qui a pour objectif: de fournir aux organisations volontaires africaines de développement, un forum d'appui mutuel et de coopération; d'aider ces organisations dans l'identification et la mobilisation des ressources de développement, dans une perspective d'autosuffisance; et d'encadrer les populations de façon qu'elles contribuent à leur propre développement.

Le FOVAD a entre autres pour objectif d'établir des liens de solidarité effective avec les autres structures de la société civile, de créer un réseau de communication avec les gouvernements africains, les institutions gouvernementales et les associations du Nord.

Gambia River Basin Development Organization(OMVG)

Member countries: Senegal, The Gambia, Guinea and Guinea-Bissau

Date founded: 1978

The major plans of the Gambia River Basin Development Organization include the construction of dams on the 1,100 Km river at Balingho, The Gambia, and Kekreti, Senegal, to provide irrigation and hydro-electricity. Feasibility studies were undertaken in 1984. The organization maintains a documentation centre.

Indian Ocean Commission

Member countries: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Seychelles and France (representing the French Overseas Department of Reunion)

Date founded: 1982

The IOC was established to promote regional cooperation particularly in economic development. Principal projects comprise tuna-fishing development and the development of new and renewable energy systems with assistance mainly form the European Community. Tariff reduction also forms part of the sectoral concerns. There are permanent technical commission embracing tuna-fishing; regional industrial cooperation, regional commerce, air transport, tourism, environment, maritime transport, education, training and culture, labour and sports.

Member countries: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Sudan, and Uganda

Date founded: 1986

The IGADD was founded to coordinate measures to combat the effects of drought and desertification. Its organizational undertakings include food security, desertification control, environmental protection, agricultural research, water resources management, communications and transport, and manpower development.

Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC)

Member countries: Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria

Date founded: 1964

This Commission was established to encourage cooperation in developing the Lake Chad region and to attract financial and technical assistance for research. The recent programme of action emphasized anti-desertification measures, coordinated protection of crops, animals and forestry, and of Lake Chad. Improvement in road and railway links between member countries is also a major concern of the commission.

Member countries: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone

Date founded: 1973

The Mano River Union was established to constitute a customs and economic union between the member states in order to improve living standards. Decisions are taken at meetings of a joint ministerial committee.

Member countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria

Observatoire Economique et Statistique pour l'Afrique Subsaharienne (AFRISTAT)

Pays membres: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, Centrafrique, Guinée, Comores, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Gabon, Guinée Equatoriale, Mali, Niger, Sénégal, Tchad , Togo, Guinée Bissau, Mauritanie

Date de création: 21 septembre 1993

AFRISTAT est une organisation internationale créée par un traité signé le 21 septembre 1993 à Abidjan par les 14 États africains membres de la Zone Franc. La Guinée Bissau et la Mauritanie y ont adhéré en avril 1998. Chaque État, chaque gouvernement, chaque décideur a besoin d'informations lui permettant de piloter au mieux, et à moindre coût, sa gestion et son développement économique et social. Il doit pour cela s'appuyer sur un système d'information complet et crédible, lui permettant tout à la fois d'éclairer l'événement et de conduire la décision. A son niveau le plus simple, il s'agit d'une plate-forme minimum d'information statistique, mais l'objectif final est la mise en place d'un système d'information économique et sociale complet. Pour répondre, même de façon succincte, à ce besoin d'information, un minimum de moyens (humains et matériels) est nécessaire dont ne disposent pas toujours les pays en voie de développement.

La création de l'Observatoire Économique et Statistique d'Afrique Subsaharienne (AFRISTAT) est la résultante d'un double constat, d'un nouveau contexte politique et économique et d'une volonté affirmée d'intégration régionale. En effet, l'examen critique de l'exercice de la fonction statistique dans les pays d'Afrique subsaharienne montre d'une part, l'absence d'un véritable décollage des Instituts Nationaux de Statistique alors même que de nombreux statisticiens ont été formés dans des écoles de haut niveau et que des outils originaux ont été étudiés et testés et d'autre part, une inadaptation croissante des politiques classiques de coopération statistique. En outre, la petite taille de certains pays de cette région ne leur permet pas de mettre en place, avant de très nombreuses années, et avec leurs seules ressources nationales, des appareils statistiques complets et opérationnels. Devant les difficultés des Instituts Nationaux de Statistique pour répondre à ces besoins d'information, les Ministres de l'Économie et des Finances des pays de la Zone Franc ont décidé la mise en place d'AFRISTAT, répondant ainsi aux recommandations du Plan d'Action d'Addis-Abeba pour le développement de la Statistique en Afrique. Le Traité est entré en vigueur et AFRISTAT a commencé ses activités à son siège à Bamako (Mali) le 2 janvier 1996.

Organization for the Development of Senegal River (OMVS)

Member countries: Mali, Mauritania, and Senegal

Date founded: 1972

This organization was meant to use the Senegal river for hydroelectricity, irrigation and navigation. The Djama Dam in Senegal for example, provides a barrage to prevent salt water from moving upstream . In the same vein, the Mantali dam in Mali provides a reservoir for irrigation of about 400,000 hectares of land and for production of hydroelectricity and provision of all year-round navigation for ocean-going vessels. In 1988 the formation of a joint company to manage future projects was announced.

Organization of African Unity (OAU)

The Organization of African Unity was established on May 25, 1963, at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia and the Charter of the Organization was signed on that occasion by Heads of State and Government of 32 independent African States. Its purposes are to promote the unity and solidarity of the African States; defend the sovereignty of members; eradicate all forms of colonialism; promote international cooperation having due regard for the Charter of the United Nations and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights; coordinate and harmonize Member States economic, diplomatic, educational, health, welfare, scientific and defense policies.

Organisation pour l'Harmonisation du Droit des Affaires en Afrique (OHADA)
[Organisation for the Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa]

Pays membres: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Cameroun, République Centrafricaine, Comores, Guinée, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinée Bissau, Guinée Equatoriale, Mali, Niger, Sénégal, Tchad et Togo.

Date de création: 17 octobre, 1993

L'unification du Droit des Affaires en Afrique est sans nul doute l'un des points les plus importants concernant les investisseurs et les entreprises. En effet, l'insécurité juridique des affaires est l'un des freins principaux au développement de l'investissement en Afrique, notamment pour investissement étranger. L'insécurité juridique s'explique par la vétusté, dans certains Etats, des textes juridiques en vigueur, ainsi que par la difficulté à connaître, dans un cas déterminé, la norme de droit applicable. L'insécurité judiciaire a notamment pour source le manque de compétence des professionnels du droit, tant en droit qu'en matière de déontologie.

Le Traité de l’OHADA, entré en vigueur en septembre 1995, a pour objectif de garantir la sécurité juridique au sein de ses pays membres, favorisant ainsi le retour des investisseurs, nationaux ou étrangers. Pour ce faire, les missions et les moyens de l'OHADA sont les suivants: l'unification du droit des affaires par la promulgation d'Actes Uniformes applicables dans tous les pays; la promotion de l'arbitrage pour le règlement des différends, par l'institution d'une Cour Commune de Justice et d'Arbitrage; la formation des magistrats et des auxiliaires de justice, par l'ouverture de l'Ecole Régionale Supérieure de la Magistrature, à Porto Novo (Bénin)

Pan-African Institute for Development (PAID)

Date founded: 1964

PAID was established to train rural development officers form Africa, mainly at an intermediate level but also some higher specialists in development questions. Emphasis regarding education is given to the involvement of local populations in development, women in development, promotion of small- and medium-scale enterprises, staff training for national centres, preparation of projects for regional cooperation, applied research, consultation and project support. It has four regional offices; two for the Anglophone countries and the other two serving the Francophones. These are located in Buea, Cameroon and Kabwe, Zambia (Anglophone); and Douala, Cameroon and Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso (Francophone).

Réseau Africain pour le Développement Intégré (RADI)

Date de création: 1985

Le RADI fut créé par un groupe d'intellectuels africains qui ont voulu mettre en commun leur expérience et leur savoir-faire. Le RADI est une ONG panafricaine au service du développement de l'Afrique. Sa mission s'inscrit dans le cadre de la promotion individuelle et collective des populations africaines à travers une stratégie mettant en oeuvre un processus de développement intégré, participatif, populaire et démocratique.

Member states: Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius (since 1995), Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa (since 1994), Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland

Date founded: August 1992

The Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference, SADCC, the forerunner of the SADC, the Community, was established in April 1980 by Governments of the nine Southern African countries. The formation of SADC was the culmination of a long process of consultations by the leaders of Southern Africa. Through SADCC, the founding fathers sought first to demonstrate the tangible benefits of working together, and to cultivate a climate of confidence and trust among member States. SADCC was originally created to reduce the dependence of the region on South Africa and to seek foreign financial support for development projects that could not economically be undertaken by any one of its member countries individually. The political changes in South Africa and the disappearance of the destabilization policy of the Apartheid era, however, brought about a gradual change in the philosophy of SADCC. This transformation occurred in August 1992, when the Heads of State and Government of the Southern African Development Co-ordination Conference met in Windhoek, Namibia, to sign a Declaration and Treaty establishing the new SADC - the Southern African Development Community.

SADC has developed since then, to become an organisation that has a Programme of Action, covering several broad economic and social sectors, namely, Energy, Tourism, Environment and Land Management, Water, Mining, Employment and Labour, Culture, Information and Sport and Transport and Communications. Other sectors are Finance and Investment, Human Resource Development, Food, Agriculture and Natural Resources, Legal Affairs and Health. Sectors are each co-ordinated by a Member State with some member states co-ordinating more than one sector. The ultimate objective of SADC, the Community is, therefore, to build a Region in which there will be a high degree of harmonisation and rationalisation to enable the pooling of resources to achieve collective self-reliance in order to improve the living standards of the people of the region.

Member states: Botswana, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland

Date founded: December 1969

SACU is the oldest, and by most accounts the most effective, integration scheme in Africa. Its goods and factors markets are well integrated. Trade in goods and services (other than agriculture) within the Union is totally free of barriers, but imports from the rest of the world face a common external tariff and a common excise tax the proceeds of which flow into a consolidated revenue fund. The revenues are then shared by the Union partners according to a complicated revenue-sharing formula. All SACU members but Botswana are also members of the Rand Monetary Area with the central Bank of South Africa acting as the central Bank of the Area as a whole.

Since the end of the Apartheid era, there has been an ongoing debate as to whether SACU would or should survive in its current format. At least two factors contribute to the uncertainty surrounding SACU’s future. The first element of uncertainty is the conflict posed by the coexistence of SACU and SADC, both of which include South Africa, especially if the latter were to become an effective preferential regional trade scheme (a de facto enlarged SACU) with South Africa as its core. The second and related factor of uncertainty, is represented by the ability and/or willingness of South Africa to continue its compensation program to the current or any future members of an enlarged SACU as well as the willingness of the other members to stay in SACU in the absence of such payments. On the one hand, although South Africa’s trade with Southern African partners (excluding SACU) is small, around 5 percent of her total exports, this trade represents 30 percent of South Africa’s manufactured exports. Moreover, some recent estimates indicate that the prices of South Africa’s manufactured goods sold in the region may be as much as 15-25 percent higher than the fob prices of comparable goods. It is thus unlikely that in the absence of a generous compensation, the current SACU members will be willing to continue their open market policy towards South Africa, or other countries in the region may enter into a serious free trade agreement with her. On the other hand, South Africa is under increasing fiscal pressure to curb her fiscal compensation to SACU members, let alone to extend them to others. The future of SACU/SADC, will depend on the resolution of these conflicting interests.

SANGONeT is a facilitator in the effective and empowering use of information communication technology (ICT) tools by development and social justice actors in Africa. SANGONeT previously known as WorkNet, has been providing networking, information and training services to Southern African civil society organisations (CSOs) since 1987. It is an association incorporated under Section 21 of the Companies Act and was established to facilitate communication and information exchange between trade unions, social justice organisations and the international community during the Apartheid era. Despite initial technical challenges, SANGONeT has grown and gained a wealth of experience in working with users with little computer literacy. As a result, SANGONeT developed an increasing understanding of the information needs and requirements of Southern African CSOs.

Since its inception SANGONeT has viewed ICTs as a tool that could build the capacity of users and the communities they serve. It therefore emphasises the need to integrate a variety of information-related tasks through the use of ICTs. In 1992, in partnership with the Development Resources Centre (DRC), Worknet became SANGONeT and launched a dedicated information service aimed at strengthening civil society organisations. In June 1994, SANGONeT became the first public Internet Service Provider (ISP) in South Africa. SANGONeT's mission at that stage was to provide affordable and accessible electronic communication, information and networking services in support of development and social change actors in South Africa. SANGONeT's primary target groups remained CSOs, but it also offered services to development consultants, donors and parastatals and other people in the private and public sectors who joined the fight against poverty and underdevelopment in the Southern African region.

Pays membres: Bénin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinée Bissau, Mali, Niger, Sénégal et Togo

Date de création: 10 janvier 1994

En vue de l’intégration économique de ses Etats membres, l’UEMOA s’est assignée, par son Traité constitutif. Les objectifs principaux sont: le renforcement de la compétitivité des activités économiques et financières des Etats; la convergence des performances et des politiques économiques des Etats, par l'institution d'une procédure de surveillance multilatérale; la création d'un marché commun basé sur la libre circulation des personnes, des biens, des services et des capitaux; la coordination des politiques sectorielles nationales, par la mise en œuvre d'actions communes et éventuellement de politiques communes dans les principaux domaines de l'activité économique, et l'harmonisation des législations des Etats membres, dans la mesure nécessaire au bon fonctionnement du marché commun.

Pays membres: Tunisie, Algérie, Libye, Maroc, et Mauritanie

Date de Création: février 1989

L'UMA a été fondée le 17 février 1989, date à laquelle le Traité constitutif de l'Union du Maghreb Arabe, a été signé par les Cinq Chefs d'Etats à Marrakech. Le Sommet de Marrakech a été précédé de la réunion tenue par les Cinq chefs d'Etat Maghrébins à Zeralda (Algérie) le 10 juin 1988 au cours de la quelle il a été décidé de constituer une Grande Commission, chargée de définir les voies et moyens permettant la réalisation d'une Union entre les Cinq Etats du Maghreb Arabe.

Le Traité constitutif de l'UMA a fixé les objectifs suivants: la consolidation des rapports de fraternité qui lient les Etats membres et leurs peuples; la réalisation du progrès et du bien-être de leurs communautés et la défense de leurs droits; la réalisation progressive de la libre circulation des personnes des services, des marchandises et des capitaux entre les Etats membres; l'adoption d'une politique commune dans tous les domaines. En matière économique , la politique commune vise à assurer le développement industriel, agricole, commercial et social des Etats membres.

Member states: Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea Bissau, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo.

The West African Monetary Union is characterised by the recognition of a common monetary unit, the Franc of the African Financial Community (CFA F), which is issued by the Central Bank of West African States (BCEAO). The organs ensuring the administration of WAMU are The Conference of Heads of State; The Council of Ministers; The Banking Commission, and The Savings and Financial markets Regional Council.

The Conference of Heads of State is the supreme authority of the Union. It decides on the accession of new members and settles any matter that the Council of Ministers of the Union has referred to it.

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