The African Union and New Strategies for Development in Africa By Said Adejumobi and Adebayo Olukoshi

The African Union and New Strategies for Development in Africa B ...

Chapter 1:

Introduction: Transition, Continuity, and Change

Read

ABOUT
- Data
- Description
- Reviews
- About Author
- Cover
RESEARCH
- Bookmarks
- Notes
FONT
- Font Size
  - x-small
  - small
  - medium
  - large
  - x-large
- Line Height
  - 1.00
  - 1.25
  - 1.50
  - 1.75
  - 2.00
- Letter Spacing
  - Default
  - 1 pixel
  - 2 pixels
  - 3 pixels
  - 4 pixels
DOWNLOAD
- Complete Edition
PAGE
- TOC
- Copyright
- References
- Index

This is a limited free preview of this book. Please buy full access.

The administrative machinery of the Union Government will be the Commission of the government. The Commission will be charged with the responsibility of implementing the decisions, programs, and projects in the strategic focus areas of the Union Government. In addition, the Commission will also review and monitor progress in the implementation of programs and projects. It is proposed that the chairperson of the Commission should be appointed for a 7-year nonrenewable period, and the capacity of the Commission should be strengthened.

The legislative responsibility of the Union Government will reside in the Pan-African Parliament (PAP). The parliament will have democratic oversight functions on the institutions of the Union Government, and it shall work closely with national and regional parliaments in harmonizing laws and legislations in the regional scope. However, this new responsibility requires that the PAP must have direct mandate from the African people, thus the need for direct elections into the PAP. It is proposed that elections into the parliament should be based on proportional representation, taking into cognizance the population of member states.

The judicial functions of the Union Government will reside with two bodies—the African Court of Justice, which shall be accessible by member states, and the African Court of Human Rights. The latter will entertain complaints and litigations directly from the African people. The court will work in cooperation with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), which will process complaints to be considered by the African Court of Human Rights.

The ECOSOCC will remain the overarching voice of civil society and the people in the Union Government. However, it is proposed that the advisory function of ECOSOCC should be revised to ensure that the organ is consulted on all vital decisions that would be taken by the assembly. ECOSOCC should not be a rubber stamp for the actions of the government, but rather an active agent of change and transformation in the Union Government.