Paper short abstract:

This paper explores the roles that cities of Lagos and Johannesburg can play in advancing regional integration efforts in Africa.

Paper long abstract:

Africa's regional integration drive, like arrangements in other climes, is essentially state-centric. Such state-centric conception has ensured that the representatives of member states in the policy matrix of regional integration process are mainly bureaucrats from the highest level or sphere of government. The roles of subsidiary elements such as civil society, private sector and cities are usually not treated beyond the rhetorical context. It is against this background that this paper intends to examine the specific roles two major cities in Africa, Lagos and Johannesburg, can play in advancing Africa's integrative efforts. If both cities were countries, they will be among the top ten economies, in GDP terms, in Africa. They boast of big businesses and innovation hubs, relatively stable metropolitan governments, vibrant culture and strong research units. This paper argues for a "Lagos - Johannesburg Axis" for coordinating and implementing key integrative goals in Africa. At the heart of this is the extent to which the cities of Lagos and Johannesburg can collaborate around three broad nodes of engagement: culture, academia, and business. The expectation is that these engagements will serve as the nucleus for developing broader regional initiatives.