Impacts of African Union economic social and cultural council on Africa’s future 

Established in July 2004 to bolster civil society groups’ (CSOs) representation in AU institutions and decision-making, the African Union Economic, Social, and Cultural Council (ECOSOCC) is the primary advisory body of the AU. 

In a bid to promote peace security and general development on the continent, ECOSOCC creates a wider platform for engagement between various social and professional organizations from AU member states and the authorities. In this article, we will focus on ECOSOCC’s composition, its roles, and its significance in advancing growth and integration in Africa. 

What is the structure of ECOSOCC?

The highest decision-making body comprises 150 members of African Union states. In addition to the six representatives of CSOs chosen by the AU Commission, they comprise two representatives from each AU member state, ten regional, eight continental, and twenty diasporic representatives. The General Assembly will convene once every two years to set the general orientation and policies of ECOSOCC. 

Standing Committee: The 15 members are in charge of organizing activities of the ECOSOCC and convening sessions of its General Assembly with representatives of each of the five regions of Africa. 

Sectoral Cluster Committees: There are ten committees in various sectors addressing issues such as infrastructure, social issues, gender issues, political issues, peace, and security. These committees greatly assist the AU in the formulation of policy and programs. 

Actions of ECOSOCC

Through encouraging greater civil society participation in its work, ECOSOCC seeks to support the development of the African Union.

In an advisory capacity, ECOSOCC reviews the AU’s policies and advises on their implementation. This guidance is quite significant in guaranteeing the execution of AU-mandated policies in African nations. It promotes democracy, gender equality, the rule of law, governance, and the rights of children. This emphasis led to the creation of a fair society in Africa.

Civil Society Engagement: ECOSOCC promotes government and CSO cooperation for more involvement in AU projects and policies. This partnership is critical for guaranteeing that policies reflect the needs and ambitions of Africans.

Importance of ECOSOCC

ECOSOCC transforms the landscape of civil society in Africa, as it can transform their voices and aid in development initiatives:

Increasing Participation of Civil Society: Through offering a platform to Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), ECOSOCC ensures that all views are captured in the decision-making process of the African Union. With this said, policies bearing the interest of the African people will be shaped. 

Promoting Human Rights and Good Governance: A focus on human rights and governance gives ‌impetus to social justice and equality in a society with ECOSOCC. The very empowerment extends the objectives of the AU to promote peace and stability. This is done in the advisory role that ECOSOCC plays in the integration of African countries. This integration is paramount for Africa to remain unified and prosperous.

Problems for ECOSOCC

One of the problems ECOSOCC has to contend with is the scant monetary support of its member organizations. Because the funding gaps are so large, many African NGOs may be unable to afford participation and representation within ECOSOCC, which, when taken together with other civil NGOs, limits their capacity to effectively participate in the political discourse. This, however, causes the council to not be able to efficiently relate with different civil society organizations within the continent.

Coordination Problems: There may be some difficulty in executing or coordinating with other organizations of the AU. This is especially true with ECOSOCC’s recommendations. One challenge lies in ensuring adequate coverage of all regions, actors, and stakeholders. Though ECOSOCC strives for inclusiveness, achieving this is a challenge due to the heterogeneous makeup of African civil society. The inclusion of marginalized voices will require thinking outside the box. 

Strengthening partnerships: Improvement of international organizations will help resolve some of the resource gaps, thus strengthening the work of such institutions. It is also likely to enhance the international profile of ECOSOCC’s work and to promote engagement and collaboration by further international actors. ECOSOCC will improve the strategic role it plays at the AU in this partnership by boosting the resources and expertise available to the region. Innovative engagement methods: technology and community mobilization can be utilized to enhance civil society engagement and participation. ECOSOCC, in this way, might be able to engage more with marginalized communities and amplify their voices. Innovative measures include the use of online forums, social networks, and local projects in dialogue-building and soliciting input from diverse African communities. 

Members of the African Union

The African Union, AU, includes all countries on the African continent, numbering 55 member states, and is a continental organization. This association has divided these member states into five geographical regions: North, West, Central, East, and Southern Africa. It was founded on July 9, 2002, as a successor to the Organization of African Unity, OAU, to promote social and cultural economic unity among its member states, cooperate in finding solutions to regional and global problems, and thus attain peace, security, and sustainable development for the entire Africa. 

AU stands as one of its important institutions geared towards relying on the building of unity and cooperation across its different member states in reflecting the very underscored mosaic of political, cultural, and economic contexts in care of the African continent. Africa has a beautiful and varied culture that embraces many regional traditions, languages, and behaviors. The region has many tribes, with approximately between 1,500 and 3,000 languages spoken. 

Some of its characteristics include its strength of endurance and its legacy rich in content that surrounds it. While this diversity provides the basis for ‌a powerful and united Africa, it constitutes a source of wealth in itself in these regions. It is this diversity of cultures in Africa that enables various peoples and nations to mutually contribute to each other. 

The Charter for the African Cultural Renaissance affirms, among other things, the importance, heterogeneity, and culture of peoples as the basis for national unity, conflict resolution, and peace-building. It also calls for the preservation of both tangible and intangible cultural heritage, the promotion of African languages, and the rapprochement with the African diaspora. 

African Union trade policies

The commended achievements of the AU include advancing economic integration through instruments such as the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)14 and peace and security through peacekeeping deployments. Aside from those, the AU has limitations, which include a scarcity of funding and a lack of international partner coordination. To skim the surface, the African Union is perhaps the most popular African international organization for promoting and fortifying international collaboration, economic development, and African unity. 

With this initiative, which aims to accomplish an intra-African commerce rise of 25% within ten years, the integration of the markets in Africa is further enhanced.

By increasing intra-regional trade, Africa strengthens its negotiating position in international trade agreements. Therefore, the AU endorses certain African positions in international trade negotiations, including during the WTO negotiations. This cooperative stand ensures that the interests of the African nations are represented and secured in international trade negotiations. From there, trade arrangements with other regions are set up. For example, to secure favorable trade conditions for African exports, the AU has tried to use agreements such as the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) of the United States. 

To increase Africa’s trade capacity, this involves investment in transport infrastructure, streamlining of customs processes, and in most instances, arrangements for financial access. In conformity with the set framework, the AU aims to ensure cross-border business activities and international trade through the standardization of law and practice among its member countries. With an aim of a capacity-building focus on regional integration, the African Union has an immense impact on setting policies for trade on the international platform. Programs such as BIAT and AfCFTA are improving Africa’s position in international trade through economic development and growth throughout the continent.