African Trade unions under the International Trade Union Confederation’s regional office, ITUC-Africa, have urged Nigeria and other African governments to ensure that industrialisation delivers measurable improvements in living standards for workers and ordinary citizens rather than deepening inequality.
The call came during a three-day convening in Nairobi titled “New Energy for Africa: African Workers Contributions to Energy Sovereignty, Green Industrialisation and a Common Africa for COP31.” Speaking at the event, ITUC-Africa General Secretary Akhator Joel Odigie criticised the Nigerian government’s plan to remove electricity subsidies by 2027, describing it as a move aimed at satisfying the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank rather than protecting vulnerable populations.
The gathering brought together trade unions from 53 countries alongside civil society organisations, journalists, and climate campaigners from across the continent to discuss energy justice, climate change, and industrial policy. Participants represented 21 nations, including Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Cameroon, Uganda, Tanzania, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Somalia, Senegal, Guinea Conakry, Algeria, Tunisia, Mozambique, Ethiopia, Togo, South Sudan, and Mali.
Organisers stressed that economic growth must lift Africans out of poverty. The workers’ delegation faulted the proposed subsidy removal, arguing it would disproportionately affect low-income households while serving external conditionalities. Discussions also interrogated Mission 300, a joint initiative by the World Bank Group and the African Development Bank launched to provide electricity access to 300 million people across Africa by 2030. While the programme reports over 50 million connections across 40 countries backed by $30 billion to $35 billion in public and partner financing, union representatives questioned its transparency, accountability, and alignment with energy sovereignty.
Looking ahead to the COP31 climate negotiations, speakers called for closer collaboration between organised labour and the African Group of Negotiators, insisting that trade unions are partners in governance rather than adversaries. The convening underscored a central demand: that Africa’s green industrialisation and energy transition prioritise human welfare over institutional conditionalities. The outcomes are expected to shape labour’s engagement in upcoming continental and global climate dialogues.