By Joan Nwagwu
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has urged African trade unions to strengthen women’s leadership and participation in the labour movement.
Mr Gilbert Houngbo, ILO Director-General, made the call virtually while addressing participants at the opening of the 2nd ITUC-Africa Biennium Women’s Conference in Lome, Togo.
The conference has the theme: “Trade Union Feminism and the Implementation of ITUC-Africa’s Transformative Gender Agenda: Two Years of Action for Equity and Social Justice in Africa.”
Houngbo said stronger participation of women was crucial to advancing their voices in Africa’s economic and labour decision-making processes.
“Be bold and continue to lead. Organise more women workers, including those in the informal economy. Promote young women into leadership positions,” he said.
He urged trade unions to build alliances across generations and movements, while ensuring gender equality remained central to economic and labour policies.
Houngbo said Africa’s world of work was undergoing profound transformation driven by digitalisation, artificial intelligence, climate change, demographic shifts and economic restructuring.
He, however, said the opportunities created by the changes would not automatically produce greater equality if women remained overrepresented in informal employment and unpaid care work.
The ILO chief said women continued to face discrimination and violence at work, while remaining underrepresented in leadership and decision-making across the continent.
He said gender equality was central to social justice, inclusive growth, decent work and democratic governance, and should not be treated as a peripheral issue.
Houngbo said the ILO remained committed to advancing equal pay for work of equal value, expanding social protection and investing in the care economy.
He said the organisation would promote a just transition that benefited women and accelerate the transition from informal to formal employment.
According to him, eliminating violence and harassment at work remained critical, including through wider ratification and implementation of ILO Convention 190.
Houngbo said policies alone were insufficient, stressing that women needed stronger voices in governments, enterprises, trade unions and collective bargaining processes.
He said women should actively participate in institutions shaping economic, social, climate and technological policies across Africa.
The ILO director-general described strong, independent and representative trade unions as indispensable to advancing gender equality and strengthening women’s participation in decision-making.
He congratulated ITUC-Africa for institutionalising the initiative, saying the second gathering demonstrated sustained commitment to gender equality, social justice and women’s leadership.
Houngbo said the conference theme was timely and ambitious, translating two years of action under the transformative gender agenda into renewed momentum.
He expressed the ILO’s readiness to continue working with African trade unions to build a more inclusive, equitable and just future of work.
He said women’s rights should be protected, their contributions valued and their leadership strengthened to help shape a better future for all.