Restructure economies to create decent jobs for unemployed Africans - Raila Odinga urges African nations

A former Prime Minister of Kenya, Raila Odinga, has urged African countries to restructure their economies to create jobs for the people.

He said they must begin the business of manufacturing to turn around the persistent unemployment dilemma facing the jobless.

“We have to restructure our economies to avoid a situation in which a few people at the top do extremely well while ordinary workers struggle at the bottom and see their wages stagnate at unhelpful levels,” he said.

Decent wage

Speaking at the 45th session of the General Council of the Organisation of the African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) in Accra last Friday, Mr Odinga said the proportion of the employed population living in poverty despite being employed stood at 29 per cent on the continent.

“So, we have the challenge of ensuring that as Africa takes a positive economic trajectory, everybody is participating in and benefiting from growth.

“That means ensuring that everybody who works hard gets paid a decent wage with decent benefits and that employers and investors are given the right environment to get fair returns from their investment,” he said.

The event, held on the theme: “Strengthening the role of trade unions for advancing social justice for everyone”, brought together trade union leaders from across Africa and representatives from the African Union (AU), the International Labour Organisation and other international trade union organisations.

They deliberated on how to empower trades unions to tackle issues such as workers’ rights and advancing social justice for all.

Mr Odinga said after decades of largely underwhelming performance on several fronts, including the economy, Africa was currently on an upward trajectory.

In February, he said the African Development Bank reported that Africa would account for eleven of the world’s 20 fastest-growing economies this year, with real GDP growth for the continent expected to average 3.8 per cent and 4.2 per cent in 2024 and 2025, respectively.

That, he said, was higher than the projected global averages of 2.9 per cent and 3.2 per cent within the same period, with the continent set to remain the second fastest growing region after Asia.

“Many times, we forget that behind these positive figures are real human workers and their unions who are working harder than ever to make investment, production and employment possible and move Africa forward. Hail to our workers and their unions.

“Our unemployment rate of 6.3 per cent is unsustainable. The informal sector constitutes 83.1 per cent of the economy, another unsustainable reality,” he said. 

Protect workers

Mr Odinga, who also held the position of the African Union High Representative for Infrastructure Development, noted that the world today was in a period of rapid economic changes, driven by innovation, globalisation and technology.

In such moments, he said workers needed stronger representation and a louder voice, which was what OATUU did or aspired to do.

Paying tribute to the OATUU for giving workers a voice, he said, the organisation must always strive to ensure that the forces of globalisation and automation did not put workers at a disadvantage.  

Sustain support

The President of OATUU, Dr Francis Atwoli, urged African governments to continue to support the organisation financially to make it stronger to represent the interests of workers across the continent.

He particularly thanked the government of Ghana for showing continued support for the organisation over the years.

Decent work and fair wages

The Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress of Ghana, Joshua Ansah, said in their quest for social justice, OATUU must focus on ensuring that all workers enjoyed safe working conditions, fair compensation and social protections.

“We must ensure equitable economic growth by promoting sustainable development that benefits all, not just a privileged few,” he said.

Writer’s email: nana.agyeman@graphic.com.gh