1. Strengthening Democracy and Governance
Africa must reinforce democratic governance to ensure participatory and accountable leadership. Recent trends show a decline in voter participation and a shrinking space for civil liberties, including the rights to freedom of association, expression, and assembly. We urge your administration to champion genuine participatory democracy, where citizens actively shape their nations’ futures, and to support human rights defenders in their efforts to uphold democratic values.

2. Addressing Economic Hardships and Wage Suppression
Millions of African workers are struggling with rising inflation and an ongoing cost-of-living crisis, yet wages remain stagnant or are actively suppressed. We call upon the AUC to promote policies that ensure fair and livable wages for all workers, addressing income inequalities and ensuring decent work conditions as fundamental pillars of economic stability and social justice.

3 Advancing Trade and Investment through AfCFTA
Trade and investment, when effectively structured, can drive job-led economic growth. AfCFTA has the potential to boost intra-African trade significantly, but for it to be effective, it must incorporate robust labour protections and fair working conditions. We call on your leadership to ensure that trade agreements prioritise workers’ rights, social protections, and fair industrial policies, enabling African economies to transition from dependence on raw material exports to manufacturing and value-added industries.

4. Infrastructure and Free Movement of People
Africa’s infrastructure gap remains a significant barrier to economic integration. We urge the AUC under your leadership to prioritise infrastructure development, including transport, energy, water, and digital connectivity. Additionally, we emphasise the urgent need to fully implement the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons, ensuring that Africans can travel, work, and trade freely across borders, further deepening economic ties and opportunities. We urge the Commission to consider setting up a working group on the implementation of the FMP, which will help allay the concerns of Member States for better implementation.

5. Combating Environmental Degradation and Unregulated Mining
Illegal and unregulated mining continues to devastate communities and ecosystems across Africa. We encourage the AUC to take decisive action in implementing stringent environmental regulations and ensuring that extracting Africa’s natural resources benefits the local populations while preserving the environment for future generations. The African Mining Vision should be pursued in an inclusive manner.

6. Promoting Youth Employment and Industrialisation
With over 60% of Africa’s population under the age of 25, the challenge of youth unemployment requires urgent attention. We urge the AUC to continue to drive policies that promote skills development, industrialisation, and manufacturing, ensuring that young Africans are equipped with the tools to secure decent jobs and contribute to the continent’s economic transformation.

7. Advancing Women’s Empowerment and Social Protection
Women remain disproportionately affected by economic exclusion and inadequate social protection provisions. We call on your administration to champion the ratification and implementation of the African Charter on Social Protection, ensuring comprehensive safety nets that protect women, youth, and vulnerable populations from economic hardships and social inequalities. Whilst we know that financing of social protection provisions remains a challenge, we have remained active in the advocacy to halt Illicit Financial Flows (IFFs) and better debt management

8. Strengthening the Role of Trade Unions in Africa’s Development
Trade unions ensure that economic and political policies prioritise workers’ rights, fair wages, and social protection provisions. We urge your administration to foster an open and constructive dialogue with African trade unions to ensure workers’ concerns and aspirations are fully integrated into the AUC’s development strategies.
Your Excellency, as you embark on this important journey, we trust that your leadership will be defined by inclusivity, social justice, and the promotion of decent work and economic opportunities for all Africans. ITUC-Africa stands ready to collaborate with the AUC in building a fair, just, and prosperous continent where all workers are treated with dignity and respect.

Once again, congratulations on your well-deserved election. Also, we ask that you help convey our congratulations to all the elected Commissioners. We look forward to engaging with you, your administration, the Commissioners and the Commission to advance the rights and welfare of African workers and contribute to Africa’s long-term prosperity.