Africa faces a mounting social and economic crisis, shaped by global
shocks, weak job creation, and rising debt. By 2025, governments owe
over $2.1 trillion, and in many cases debt service consumes more than
40% of revenues, leaving little for schools, health systems, or jobcreating
infrastructure. Meanwhile, 8–11 million young Africans enter
the labour market each year, but only about 3 million formal jobs are
created. This mismatch, combined with chronic informality, skills
gaps, and climate vulnerability, risks undermining Africa’s
demographic dividend.
Yet opportunities exist. The African Continental Free Trade Area
(AfCFTA), green industrialisation, and investment in skills and social
protection could transform growth into decent work. Trade unions
emphasise that these strategies must be pro-worker, with enforceable
labour standards and inclusion of youth and women at the centre.
Unions therefore urge the G20 to: set ambitious job-creation targets;
invest in climate-friendly, labour-intensive sectors; strengthen labour
rights and universal social protection; embed labour standards in
trade agreements; expand youth employment through training and
fair wages; promote migration and mobility rights; cancel illegitimate
debt and curb illicit flows; ensure climate finance creates jobs; and
affirm African agency in global governance. Expansionary fiscal space
must be treated not as charity, but as investment in development
justice and inclusive prosperity.