The Africa Governance Report
ANNEX 3: The Eight Regional Economic Communities Recognised by the African Union
Regional Economic Community
Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), established in 1989 Population
91.2 million, Per capita GDP USD 4,518
Member States
Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia
Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD), established in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Central African Republic,
1998, Population 535.0 million, Per capita GDP USD 1,363
Chad, Comoros, Côte 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
Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA),
first established as Preferential Trade Area in 1981, became
COMESA in 1994 Population 492.5 million, Per capita GDP
USD 1,335
Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti,
Egypt, Eritrea, Eswatini, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Somalia, Seychelles, Sudan,
Tunisia, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe
East African Community (EAC), established in 1967 with roots
going back to 1917, Population 168.5 million, Per capita GDP
USD 918
Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania,
South Sudan
Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS),
established in 1983, Population 158.3 million, Per capita GDP
USD 1,631
Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad,
Congo, Democratic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon,
Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe
Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS),
established in 1975, Population 339.8 million, Per capita GDP
USD 2,130
Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, Gambia,
Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Niger, Nigeria,
Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo
Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), first
established in 1986 as Intergovernmental Authority on Drought
and Development, became IGAD in 1996, Population 247.4
million, Per capita GDP USD 874
Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan,
Uganda
Southern African Development Community (SADC), first
established as Southern African Development Coordination
Conference in 1980, became SADC in 1992, Population 312.7
million, Per capita GDP USD 2,255
Angola, Botswana, Comoros, Democratic Republic of the
Congo, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius,
Mozambique, Namibia, Seychelles, South Africa, United
Republic of Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Source: African Union, African Development Bank Group and UN Economic Commission for Africa, Africa Regional Integration Index
Report 2016.
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