The (Ir)relevance of the Office of the Chair of the African Union Commission: Analysing the Prospects for Change Babatunde Fagbayibo* Abstract Within the context of the current debate on the institutional transformation of the African Union (AU), this article examines the position of the chairperson of the AU Commission (Commission). The importance of the Commission chairperson cannot be over-emphasized. As the head of the “engine room” of the AU, it is pertinent that s/he is given the requisite powers to oversee the proper functioning of the sec- retariat, which would in turn propel the progressive development of African integration. This article argues that the current intergovernmental nature of the AU, where real decision making powers are held by member states, curtails the Commission chairper- son from playing a meaningful role in the integration process. It highlights certain fundamental factors for ensuring the relevance of the chairperson. These include the institutional transformation of the AU, a review of the eligibility requirements for the Commission chairperson, a broad-based election process and hybridized functions. BACKGROUND One consequence of the emergence of international institutions as an integral part of the global administrative mechanism is the establishment of transna- tional bureaucratic frameworks for implementing and coordinating decisions taken at the international level. Be it at the global, continental or (sub) regional levels, organizational secretariats, the so-called “engine-rooms”, are increasingly shaping issues that are not only trans-frontier in nature but also national in character. Technocrats at the secretariats of major inter- national institutions continue to provide policy frameworks for issues as diverse as climate change, poverty reduction, democracy and economic devel- opment. The realization that some matters are better handled beyond the national framework has necessitated the transfer of substantial powers to some international institutions. 1 The European Union, the World Trade * LLD (Pretoria), LLM (Pretoria), LLB (University of South Africa); senior lecturer, Department of Public Constitutional and International Law, University of South Africa. The author thanks Prof Michele Olivier for her comments on the draft of this article. Email: b.fagbayibo@gmail.com. 1 See for example D Esty “Good governance at the supranational scale: Globalising admin- istrative law” (2006)115 Yale Law Journal 1490 at 1493. Journal of African Law, 56, 1 (2012), 15–28 © School of Oriental and African Studies, 2011. doi:10.1017/S0021855311000210 