By
Yohane Mbeeya Moono
An Alumni of the Zambia Institute of Diplomacy and International Studies
The Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are regional groupings of African states. The Regional Economic Communities have developed individually and have differing roles and structures.
Generally, the purpose of the Regional Economic Communities is to facilitate regional economic integration between members of the individual regions and through the wider African Economic Community (AEC), which was established under the Abuja Treaty (1991). The 1980 Lagos Plan of Action for the Development of Africa and the Abuja Treaty proposed the creation of RECs as the basis for wider African integration, with a view to regional and eventual continental integration. The Regional Economic Communities are increasingly involved in coordinating African Union Member States’ interests in wider areas such as peace and security, development and governance.
The Regional Economic Communities are closely integrated with the African Union’s work and serve as its building blocks. The relationship between the African Union and the Regional Economic Communities is mandated by the Abuja Treaty and the AU Constitutive Act, and guided by the: 2008 Protocol on Relations between the Regional Economic Communities and the African Union; and the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Cooperation in the Area of Peace and Security between the African Union, Regional Economic Communities and the Coordinating Mechanisms of the Regional Standby Brigades of Eastern and Northern Africa.
The African Union has 8 Regional Economic Communities and one Regional Body related to the vision of the African Union. Thes organizations have different member countries and the bases of their Secretariats where activities in line with the African Union vision are carried out. These organizations are as follows
1. Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) with the Headquarters in Rabat, Morocco 🇲🇦. The members are: Algeria 🇩🇿, Libya 🇱🇾, Mauritania 🇲🇷, Morocco 🇲🇦 and Tunisia 🇹🇳
2. Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa ( COMESA) with the Headquarters in Lusaka, Zambia 🇿🇲. The members are: Burundi 🇧🇮, Comoros 🇰🇲, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti 🇩🇯, Egypt 🇪🇬, Eritrea 🇪🇷, Ethiopia 🇪🇹, Eswatini, Kenya 🇰🇪, Libya 🇱🇾, Madagascar 🇲🇬, Malawi 🇲🇼, Mauritius 🇲🇺, Rwanda 🇷🇼, Seychelles 🇸🇨, South Sudan , Sudan 🇸🇩, Uganda 🇺🇬, Zambia 🇿🇲 and Zimbabwe 🇿🇼.
3. Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) with the Headquarters in Tripoli, Libya 🇱🇾. The members are: Benin 🇧🇯, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central Africa Republic, Comoros 🇰🇲,Cote D’Ivoire, Djibouti 🇩🇯, Egypt 🇪🇬, Eritrea 🇪🇷, Gambia 🇬🇲, Ghana 🇬🇭, Guinea 🇬🇳, Guinea Bissau, Kenya 🇰🇪, Liberia 🇱🇷,Libya 🇱🇾, Mali 🇲🇱, Mauritania 🇲🇷, Morocco 🇲🇦, Niger 🇳🇪, Nigeria 🇳🇬, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal 🇸🇳, Sierra Leone, Somalia 🇸🇴, Sudan 🇸🇩, Togo 🇹🇬, Tunisia 🇹🇳.
4. East African Community (EAC) with the Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania 🇹🇿. The members are:Burundi 🇧🇮, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya 🇰🇪, Rwanda 🇷🇼, South Sudan, Tanzania 🇹🇿 and Uganda 🇺🇬.
5. Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) with the Headquarters in Libreville, Gabon 🇬🇦. The members are: Angola 🇦🇴, Burundi 🇧🇮, Cameroon 🇨🇲, Central Africa Republic, Chad 🇹🇩, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon 🇬🇦 and Sao Tome and Principe.
6. Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)with the Headquarters in Abuja, Nigeria 🇳🇬. The members are: Benin 🇧🇯, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote D’Ivoire, Gambia 🇬🇲, Ghana 🇬🇭, Guinea 🇬🇳, Guinea Bissau, Liberia 🇱🇷, Mali 🇲🇱, Niger 🇳🇪, Nigeria 🇳🇬, Senegal 🇸🇳, Sierra Leone and Togo 🇹🇬.
7. Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) with the Headquarters in Djibouti in the Republic of Djibouti 🇩🇯. The members are: Djibouti 🇩🇯, Eritrea 🇪🇷, Ethiopia 🇪🇹, Kenya 🇰🇪, Somalia 🇸🇴, South Sudan, Sudan 🇸🇩 and Uganda 🇺🇬.
8. Southern African Development Community (SADC)with the Headquarters in Gaborone, Botswana 🇧🇼. The members are: Angola 🇦🇴, Botswana 🇧🇼, Democratic Republic of Congo,Eswatini, Lesotho 🇱🇸, Madagascar 🇲🇬, Malawi 🇲🇼, Mauritius 🇲🇺, Mozambique 🇲🇿, Namibia 🇳🇦, Seychelles 🇸🇨, South Africa, Tanzania 🇹🇿, Zambia 🇿🇲 and Zimbabwe 🇿🇼.
The other Regional Body with works related to the works of the African Union is the International Confernce on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) with the Headquarters in Bujumbura, Burundi 🇧🇮. The members are: Angola 🇦🇴, Burundi 🇧🇮, Central Africa Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya 🇰🇪, Rwanda 🇷🇼, South Sudan, Sudan 🇸🇩, Uganda 🇺🇬, Tanzania 🇹🇿 and Zambia 🇿🇲.
The African Union together with all the Regional Economic Communities are driven by the vision of An Integrated, Prosperous and Peaceful Africa driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in the global arena.
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