Reclaiming Agency: The Role of African Organizations in Continental Politics

From aid recipients to global architects: see how African organizations are reshaping politics.

This manuscript emphasizes the importance of African regional and international organizations in election management and observation, democratization, security politics, and economic development. It argues that organizations like the African Union (AU), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) are not passive recipients of international norms and assistance. Rather, they have influenced and continue to shape international politics within and beyond the continent. Relying on interviews, archival research, election observer and situation reports, and primary resources, the book focuses on three critical areas where African actors have primarily been framed as recipients of outside assistance: election observation; peace and security; and economic development. It shows how African actors have reclaimed agency by reframing and challenging what influence looks like and the formal and informal channels through which it operates. These efforts reflect a revival of Pan-African ideals adapted to current geopolitical realities, acknowledging that agency remains bounded by the norms and realities of the existing international system.