Trade unions across Africa have been challenged to move beyond protest and actively engage governments in crafting practical solutions to the deepening economic hardship facing workers on the continent.
The General Secretary of International Trade Union Confederation Africa, Akhator Odigie, made the call at the opening of the Commission 2026 New Year School in Lomé, Togo, where labour leaders gathered to discuss the future of work and economic justice in Africa.
Odigie stressed that the worsening realities confronting workers—rising unemployment, economic instability, and external policy shocks—require urgent, solution-driven engagement rather than persistent complaints.
“Our organisation was not created to complain—it was created to find solutions. The world is in a serious storm—one we cannot ignore,” he said.
He warned that abrupt decisions by powerful global economies often have devastating consequences on fragile African markets, leading to job losses and worsening living conditions.
According to him, while trade unions have recorded notable gains over the years, those achievements are increasingly under threat, making it necessary for labour leaders to adopt more strategic approaches in defending workers’ rights.
“The gains we have secured over the years are under serious attack, and we must defend them,” he added.
Odigie also highlighted the growing frustration among African youths, noting that declining job opportunities and harsh economic realities are eroding hope across the continent. He emphasised that without peace, security, and deliberate economic reforms, sustainable development would remain elusive.
On climate change, he criticised what he described as a global imbalance, where Africa contributes minimally to emissions but bears the brunt of environmental damage, including floods, displacement, and loss of livelihoods.
“We must find African solutions to African problems,” he said.
Also speaking, President of ITUC-Africa, Martha Molema, called for a fundamental rethink of Africa’s economic model, warning that over-reliance on raw material exports has failed to generate jobs and sustainable growth.
She pointed to the African Continental Free Trade Area as a major opportunity to transform the continent’s economies—if effectively implemented.
“Its success must not be measured only by trade volumes, but by the number of decent jobs created and improvements in workers’ living conditions,” she said.
Molema stressed that trade unions must play a central role in policy decisions, particularly those related to trade and industrialisation, as they directly impact employment and livelihoods.
“Social dialogue must not be an afterthought—it must be embedded in the system,” she stated.
She further underscored the importance of energy access in driving industrialisation, warning that without affordable and reliable energy, job creation and economic stability would remain out of reach.
“Without energy, there can be no industry. Without industry, there can be no decent jobs. Without decent jobs, there can be no social stability,” she said.
Both leaders agreed that Africa’s challenges—including unemployment, insecurity, climate change, and weak industrial capacity—are interconnected and require coordinated, people-centred solutions.
They urged trade unions to take the lead in advocating policies that prioritise workers, insisting that meaningful change can only come through sustained engagement and collective action.
“If we remain passive, nothing will change. But if we organise, mobilise, and act, change is possible,” Odigie concluded.