Inter-state dispute settlement and Africa’s supranational courts

The last decades have seen a proliferation of supranational judicial (and quasi-judicial) mechanisms across the African continent, due largely to increasing economic and political integration at regional and sub-regional levels. These mechanisms have been organized at a continental level under the auspices of the African Union (AU) or at the sub-regional levels under the auspices of regional economic communities (RECs). This chapter provides a historical overview of inter-state dispute settlement in Africa and examines the various regional and sub-regional judicial mechanisms on the continent, with the aim of demonstrating their potential for effective inter-state dispute settlement. It explains the lack of inter-state disputes before Africa’s supranational courts despite the existence of multiple mechanisms and identifies procedural ways through which the potential of these mechanisms could be harnessed to provide effective avenues for inter-state dispute settlement.