Trade unions across Africa are stepping up to play a more active role in fostering peace, stability, and democratic governance amid rising conflicts and political crises affecting at least 30 countries on the continent. African workers, who often bear the brunt of instability, are now committed to launching coordinated efforts in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and reconciliation. This was highlighted during a two-day workshop in Nairobi organised by the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa), which focused on the contribution of trade unions to peace and security.
One of the key outcomes of the workshop was a proposal to create a workers-led Humanitarian Assistance Fund to support African workers trapped in conflict-affected countries by providing essential supplies such as medicine and food. The trade union movement also resolved to promote continental solidarity, supporting communities resisting authoritarianism, corruption, and the misuse of state resources, while ensuring the voices of marginalized groups remain central to peace and democratic governance.
ITUC-Africa General Secretary Akhator Joel Odigie emphasized that trade unions would move beyond lamentation to take concrete action. Planned initiatives include missions to conflict-affected countries such as Sudan, DR Congo, and Rwanda to engage governments on peace, democracy, and workers’ rights. Additionally, a continental legal clinic is set to be organized to strengthen trade unions’ capacity for social dialogue and conflict prevention. Odigie also highlighted external influences and opportunistic local actors as key drivers of violent conflicts, calling for immediate cessation of hostilities in crisis-hit regions.
Participants, including COSATU’s Bongani Masuku, stressed that trade unions cannot detach themselves from social and political issues affecting workers and citizens. They underscored the importance of genuine social dialogue, inclusivity, and active participation of women and youth in achieving a peaceful, just, and developmental Africa. Masuku criticized foreign interference in African affairs, particularly by France in West and Central Africa, and reaffirmed trade unions’ commitment to equitable access to public goods, including healthcare, education, and land, while urging stronger collaboration between governments and unions.
The workshop concluded with an African trade union declaration on peace and security, committing to active roles in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and reconciliation. The declaration emphasizes promoting decent work as a foundation for stability, pursuing fair collective bargaining, and safeguarding freedom of association and the right to organise. Trade unions also pledged to advocate for good governance, credible elections, progressive taxation, anti-corruption measures, domestic industrialisation, and investments in employment creation and universal social protection. Furthermore, the declaration highlights increasing youth and women’s leadership, promoting skills development, apprenticeships, and green jobs, and working with stakeholders in fragile and post-conflict contexts to rebuild livelihoods, workplaces, and democratic institutions.
