International Labour Organization, ILO
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) has called on African trade unions to accelerate efforts to strengthen women’s leadership and drive gender parity across the continent’s labor movement.
The ILO Director-General, Mr. Gilbert Houngbo, made the call in a virtual address at the opening of the 2nd ITUC-Africa Biennium Women’s Conference in Lomé, Togo, held under 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 stressed that elevating women into decision-making roles is vital to ensuring their voices shape broader economic and labor policies across Africa.
“Be bold and continue to lead. Organise more women workers, including those in the informal economy. Promote young women into leadership positions,” Houngbo urged union leaders, advocating for cross-generational alliances to keep gender equality at the core of labor strategy.
The ILO chief noted that while Africa’s labor landscape is undergoing rapid shifts driven by artificial intelligence, digitalization, climate change, and economic restructuring, these changes will not automatically translate to equal opportunities for women, who remain heavily concentrated in informal employment and unpaid care work.
He highlighted that women across the continent continue to experience systemic discrimination, workplace violence, and persistent underrepresentation in executive leadership.
“Gender equality is central to social justice, inclusive growth, decent work, and democratic governance, it should not be treated as a peripheral issue,” Houngbo said.
Reaffirming the ILO’s commitment, Houngbo pledged continued support for equal pay for work of equal value, expanded social protection, strategic investment in the care economy, and formalizing informal labor. He also called for the widespread ratification and enforcement of ILO Convention 190 to eradicate violence and harassment in work environments.
Emphasising that legal frameworks alone are insufficient without direct representation, Houngbo stated that women must hold active seats in government bodies, commercial enterprises, trade unions, and collective bargaining units that dictate climate, social, and technological policies.
He commended ITUC-Africa for institutionalizing the conference, describing independent, representative trade unions as indispensable engines for advancing gender equity and building an inclusive future of work for Africa.
