African trade unions have urged governments to put workers at the centre of the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), saying the agreement should translate into decent employment, stronger social protection and industrial growth across the continent.
The call was made in Nairobi on Wednesday by the Central Organisation of Trade Unions (COTU-K) and the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa), together with union representatives from Ghana, Namibia, Rwanda, Chad, South Africa, Nigeria, Zambia and Sierra Leone.
The unions said expanding trade across Africa should go hand in hand with protection of workers’ rights and ensure women, young people, informal workers and persons with disabilities benefit fairly from increased economic activity.
COTU-K Assistant Secretary General Adams Barasa said the continental trade framework should protect basic labour rights as countries seek to increase trade among themselves.
“Trade expansion must uphold freedom of association, collective bargaining, equality and safe work,” Barasa said while reading a joint statement issued by the unions.
He said opening up African markets would not by itself bring the structural changes needed to transform economies, calling for AfCFTA implementation to be tied to industrial policies, regional value chains, productive investment and skills development.
Barasa also said the process should include social protection measures and environmental sustainability to ensure the benefits of increased trade reach workers and other vulnerable groups.
The unions raised concerns over the experiences of informal traders operating across African borders, citing a July 2026 study by the African Labour Research and Education Institute on informal cross-border trade at the Busia border.
The study found a gap between commitments made under regional trade arrangements and the day-to-day experiences of traders using the Kenya-Uganda border.
Women and young people involved in cross-border trade were found to face unofficial payments, discretionary enforcement, sexual harassment, insecurity, delays and inadequate facilities.
Traders interviewed during the study reported that multiple charges and unofficial payments were cutting into their earnings.
They also reported facing threats of arrest, confiscation of goods, theft and fraud while conducting their businesses across the border.
Other challenges identified included slow clearance of goods, congestion, poor facilities and limited access to information on AfCFTA procedures.
The traders also had limited information about the protocol on women and youth in trade, raising concerns over whether those expected to benefit from the agreement were receiving enough guidance on its implementation.
Barasa called on Kenya’s trade and labour ministries, the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Busia County government to work with workers’ and traders’ organisations in addressing the issues highlighted by the study.
The unions further called for trade unions to be represented in national AfCFTA implementation committees to give workers a direct role in decisions affecting trade and employment.
They also want governments to introduce simplified trade arrangements for informal traders, improve facilities and infrastructure at border points and expand social protection programmes to cover informal workers.
ITUC-Africa Secretary General Joel Odigie said workers should have a direct role in shaping how continental trade is implemented.
“The idea behind African workers engaging in trade is a clear indication that for trade to work well, workers must be at the heart of it,” he said.
Odigie said governments and border authorities should improve the way border points are managed to make it easier and fairer for people moving goods and services across countries.
He called for workers and their representatives to be included in discussions on trade policies, saying they had practical knowledge and ideas to contribute.
“Let us sit at the table where we discuss trade. We have ideas to offer. We have knowledge to put across,” Odigie said.
ITUC-Africa is the regional organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation and represents trade unions from across Africa.
The organisation was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Lomé, Togo. It brings together national trade union centres across the continent and works to promote workers’ rights, social justice and economic policies that include workers.
AfCFTA is an African Union flagship initiative aimed at creating a single African market for goods and services while increasing trade between African countries, supporting industrialisation and developing regional value chains.
The agreement was signed in 2018 and entered into force in 2019, with trading under the framework beginning in January 2021.