The Schuman Declaration: A Blueprint for Project-based Regional Integration Plans

Seventy-five years ago, on May 9, 1950, the then French Foreign Minister, Robert Schuman, delivered a speech that would become historic as the foundation of what is now the European Union (EU). Its significance also lies in its pragmatic, results-oriented approach—giving it a universal resonance that still endures today. What’s in it for Africa?

How did Schuman’s background prepare him for his mission?

Robert Schuman was born in 1886 in Luxembourg, a German citizen by birth. His father was French, his mother Belgian—a devout Catholic whose religious values deeply shaped her son’s upbringing. Schuman would only become a French citizen at the age of 33, following the Treaty of Versailles in 1919, which returned the Alsace-Lorraine region, where he lived, to France, thereby granting its residents French nationality.

Schuman’s unique personal history led him to view borders and nationalities as somewhat artificial, social constructs that felt secondary to regional identity. He remained deeply attached to his home region of Moselle. According to Nathalie Griesbeck, a former Member of the European Parliament, Schuman embodied the ideal of a European citizen.

The First World War left a lasting impact on Schuman, who served as an administrative assistant at a military hospital in Metz. In this role, he witnessed firsthand the suffering of ordinary people caught in the turmoil of war. With personal connections to both sides of the conflict, he struggled to understand how individuals with shared cultures and values could become enemies. This experience deeply shaped his political convictions, making the values of peace and reconciliation central to his lifelong commitment. His Declaration—drafted by a small group of collaborators, including his friend Jean Monnet—embodies these ideals. The word “paix” (peace) appears several times in this short text, underscoring its deeper purpose and moral vision.

Applying “De facto solidarity” to Africa

For our purposes, the most important passage of the Schuman Declaration is as follows:

“Europe will not be made all at once, or according to a single plan. It will be built through concrete achievements which first create a de facto solidarity.”

Unlike many proclamations that dwell on abstract ideals and vague objectives, the Declaration proposed a clear, specific, and practical initiative aimed at generating peace through economic interdependence. It called on a few European countries to commit to a shared project that would bind their interests together. Specifically, the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) was created to pool coal and steel production within a common market—establishing economic linkages, particularly between France and Germany, that would make future conflict not only undesirable but materially impossible. Reaching the ultimate objective of peace necessitated to make the economies of the participating countries interdependent.

Africa would benefit from revisiting the spirit of the Schuman Declaration by crafting its own version—one not merely centered on facilitating trade, but on producing finished and semi-finished goods through inclusive value chains. A project-based approach to regional integration in Africa holds the potential to foster lasting peace, generate quality jobs across the continent and, most importantly, deepen interdependence among the countries. This approach aims at making African economies more resilient.

The following paragraphs explore how such a paradigm could reshape regional cooperation in one Regional Economic Community, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

ECOWAS at 50: Time to Reinvigorate Regional Integration

ECOWAS was officially established on May 28, 1975. From its inception, the organization faced significant obstacles to regional integration. As Kwame Nkrumah aptly observed, “We have acquired cultural differences which affect our outlook and condition our political development.[1]” These divisions have contributed to persistently low levels of intra-ECOWAS trade, which accounts for only about 10% of total exports among member states.

More than sixty years after colonial rule, West African economies remain heavily reliant on raw materials, particularly agricultural and mineral products. Although they contribute significantly to GDP, these sectors offer limited employment opportunities due to a lack of industrialization. Additionally, the vast majority of all hard and soft commodities are exported toward the EU, China and the United States. Also significant is that alternative drivers of economic growth, telecommunications and finance, tend to be capital-intensive rather than labor-absorbing.

Another pressing concern across the region is the widespread prevalence of informal employment, alongside persistently high youth unemployment rates. Creating quality jobs for Africa’s youth and women is therefore a critical objective that will reduce poverty and maintain social stability.

For this reason, the development of regional agro-industrial value chains centered on manufacturing presents strong potential to attract investment and foster sustainable employment across ECOWAS. To achieve this, the regional organization must adopt bold, time-bound initiatives with clearly defined outcomes.

The following section outlines a fictional yet realistic model illustrating how ECOWAS could structure regional value chains and generate quality employment opportunities for young women and men across the region. This would require establishing a consortium. Notably, global powers—especially the EU—may be inclined to support such initiatives, given their potential to help reduce irregular migration. Indeed, there is clear evidence that the EU sees job creation in Africa—especially for young people—as a key tool to stem the flow of illegal migration. For instance, the EU Emergency Trust Fund for Africa, and the European External Investment, aimed at addressing root causes of irregular migration by targeting employment in Africa.

Manufacturing helping build an agribusiness regional value chain

Small unmanned vehicles serve in many industries around the world, from security and defense to entertainment, health care, or crop monitoring. Manufacturing drones in the ECOWAS region could create up to 50,000 jobs and generate between $ 240 million and 2.8 billion over a five-year period.

Although West African companies possess the capacity to manufacture several drone components, certain critical parts still need to be imported, depending on the drone’s intended function. These include cameras, sensors, high-performance motors, electronic speed controllers, and advanced composite materials required for durable, lightweight frames—most of which are sourced from the United States, Europe, or Asia.

However, a range of components and systems can be developed locally. These include propellers, onboard software, batteries, 3D-printed plastic parts, and basic frames and chassis. Additionally, key stages of the value chain—such as assembly, customization, software development, testing, maintenance, and repair—can be effectively handled by West African startups, fostering local innovation and entrepreneurship.

A regional consortium could involve at least five countries performing the following steps:  assembly and software, battery systems and logistics, rubber-based components, body and frame molding.

ECOWAS will have to carry out the following key functions: coordinate the regional value chain, establish a regional innovation fund for startups and universities, standardize skills and certifications, support common manufacturing zones like Special Economic Zones and shared industrial parks, and promote an ECOWAS label or brand. While the initiative may not yield immediate profits, it has the potential to generate the following levels of employment and revenue over time (the data is AI-generated).

Table 1: Estimated Employment Potential (over a 5-year period) for a Drones value chain involving between 5 and 10 countries

Table 2: Estimated Revenue Range (5-year horizon)

Additionally, if the drone industry is tied to vocational education and tech entrepreneurship, it could seed a whole ecosystem of small businesses—from crop health or irrigation monitoring to data analytics for climate-smart farming.

Conclusion

The relevance of the Schuman model of integration is universal and should guide ECOWAS in its efforts to achieve deeper regional cohesion. In the face of pressing challenges such as climate change and regional insecurity, West African countries have a unique opportunity to reinvent their cooperation models, strengthen industrial capacity, and meet essential needs by producing African goods through inclusive and strategic regional value chains. By embracing our project-based approach, ECOWAS can turn shared vulnerabilities into a foundation for long-term stability and prosperity.

[Photo credit: Multimedia Centre, European Parliament]

The views expressed in this article are those of the author.

Footnote

[1]      Nkrumah, Kwame (1970). Africa Must Unite. International Publishers., page 146