African Union Law: The Emergence of a Sui Generis Legal Order

This book explores the emergence of African Union law as a legal order and its implications for existing order in the region. As an authoritive text on the development of AU law, the book covers such pertinent issues as legislative powers, competences, direct effect in AU law, subsidiarity, interventionism, and enforcement of laws.

Olufemi Amao argues how there is a gradual movement from intergovernmentalism to supranationalism in the African Union legal order, and explores how this trajectory gradually and incrementally deemphasises the discourse on nation state sovereignty; a concept that has caused much problem in the African context.

Drawing upon EU law as a comparison, the book also examines how the development of supranationalism affects crucial issues such as human rights, democratic reforms, territorial matters, tribal and religious disputes, and economic relations.

As a comprehensive examination of the development of law within a union, this book will be of great interest and use to students, scholars and practitioners in international law, international relations, and African studies.