Over 500 representatives from workers’ unions across the continent gather in Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, on 20-21 November 2019 for the quadrennial Congress of the African Regional Organization of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa).
In choosing ‘Unite and make a difference’ as its theme, the African trade union movement aims to promote unity as the key to achieving policies that respond to workers’ need, given the various socio-structural evolutions that we are experiencing.
A united front is also needed to breathe renewed life into our continent through new strategies to tackle corruption, poverty, armed conflict, to end illicit financial flow and ensure a sustainable future for the youth.
“Together we hold the key to a truly independent Africa. By helping each other up we can realise the ambition of our forebearers. Working people and their unions are committed to finding solutions to drive an Africa that delivers for our families and communities,” said Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, General Secretary of ITUC-Africa.
At workplace, sectoral, national and international level, they lead campaigns to ensure working people get a fairer share of the wealth they produce, to curb illicit financial flows and corruption and to ensure the expansion of decent work opportunities.
“I look around me and I see people from every part of the continent, all pulling in the same direction of progress. This is a decisive moment to bridge our overlapping struggles and unleash the strength of unity. We are the motor of the continent and we can drive accountability of the political class to deliver shared prosperity.
Building industry is key as it ensures that the value added on top of natural resources, is added here. We African countries trade less amongst ourselves than any other region in the world. As a result, our domestic industry is swept away by competition from the outside. For workers that means that where there is industry, it is often controlled by far-off unaccountable multinationals. To build a unified Africa, where prosperity is shared, we must build bridges to those government bodies who we see are attempting to push things forward and we must tackle corruption wherever it rears its ugly head. Our message of unity resonates at every level,” said Adu-Amankwah.
This first day of this important trade union meeting allowed participants to review the ITUC-Africa’s work over the past four years.
During the second day, a number of workshops and sub-plenaries will take place on five key issues that will serve as a basis to orient the work of the next four years.
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