AFRICAN REGIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COORDINATION: HOW COVID-19 ADVANCED INTEGRATION TRENDS AND SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION

Abstract

Africa is one of the world's forerunners in terms of political integration. Already in the 1960s, the Organisation of African Unity had 32 states united under a common charter. Moreover, through joint projects with Latin American and Asian partners, African states have joined some of the primary experiences of South-South Cooperation, particularly in the areas of healthcare and infrastructure. Taking this historical context into account, this paper examines how the highly competitive reality of the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the continent. We argue that the constraints imposed by the new coronavirus outbreak have strengthened the African Union's role in advancing collective action and encouraged self-sufficiency. Furthermore, we analyse how South-South Cooperation offered a platform for immediate response when access to disputed medical supplies in the world market was difficult. We conclude that the COVID-19 crisis has contributed to consolidating African regional integration in the long-term, as well as its coordination with partner emerging countries, with consequences for the African Union’s priorities in terms of foreign affairs in the future.