Trade unions across the continent argue that the success of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) should not be measured solely by the volume or value of goods traded, but by the number of decent jobs created and the extent to which workers and communities are lifted out of poverty. Without the active participation of workers, the implementation of the AfCFTA risks deepening existing inequalities rather than fostering inclusive growth.

Bringing workers to the table is not a matter of symbolic inclusion. It is a strategic imperative to better understand complex market dynamics and to generate real-time intelligence on how tariff liberalisation affects employment patterns—whether by creating jobs, triggering factory closures, expanding informality, or exerting downward pressure on wages.

Against this backdrop, the African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa), in collaboration with Trades Union Congress Aid (TUC Aid), the charitable development arm of the UK Trades Union Congress (TUC), spearheaded strategic interventions in 2024 and 2025 with trade unions in Cameroon. These initiatives—engaging the Confédération des Syndicats Autonomes du Cameroun (CSAC), the Confédération Syndicale des Travailleurs du Cameroun (CSTC), the Unions des Syndicats Libres du Cameroun (USLC), the Confédération des Services Publics (CSP), and grassroots unions—aimed to strengthen union capacity and to secure meaningful trade union inclusion in the implementation of the AfCFTA.

Over the two-year period, several key milestones were achieved:
– 1. Reopening structured dialogue and building capacity: The engagement successfully reopened dialogue and led to the development and implementation of a validated six-month roadmap. This included a training workshop held in Yaoundé, Cameroon, in April 2024, which equipped trade unionists with a comprehensive understanding of the AfCFTA Protocols.

– 2. Securing institutional recognition: Following an ITUC-Africa–led mission in July 2025, Cameroonian trade unions obtained preliminary commitments from the Ministry of Trade and the Chief Negotiator to involve unions in the technical aspects of AfCFTA implementation in Cameroon.

– 3. Broadening public ownership of the AfCFTA: Trade unions in Cameroon shifted the AfCFTA debate from closed offices to public spaces, mobilising grassroots support and generating enthusiasm for Africa’s economic transformation—at levels that exceeded government expectations.

– 4. Strengthening alliances for accountability: Crucially, trade unions began building coalitions with civil society organisations, amplifying collective demands for inclusion, transparency, and accountability in trade negotiations and agreements.

In Cameroon, a Prime Ministerial decree limits membership of the National Implementation Committee (NIC) to eleven actors. Regrettably, trade unions are excluded from this body—an omission of serious concern given the NIC’s central role in overseeing the implementation of the AfCFTA. This exclusion warrants urgent correction.
Excluding trade unions is not only economically short-sighted; it is also inconsistent with the principles of tripartism enshrined in International Labour Organization (ILO) standards, which are grounded in representation, participation, and social dialogue. Although the Ministry of Trade has expressed a willingness to involve trade unions in certain “technical activities,” this arrangement remains inadequate. As long as the Prime Ministerial decree continues to restrict NIC membership, trade unions remain structurally excluded from decision-making processes critical to AfCFTA implementation.

Echoing the views of trade unions across the continent, Cameroonian trade unions have consistently reaffirmed the need for a seat at the table and for a meaningful role in the implementation and monitoring of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).

In this regard, trade unions in Cameroon have advanced the following key policy recommendations to the Government:
– 1. Call for legislative review: Trade unions have called for a review of the Prime Ministerial decree that restricts membership of the National Implementation Committee (NIC), to enable the inclusion of social partners—particularly trade unions—in line with International Labour Organization (ILO) principles of tripartism and good governance.

– 2. Demand for institutionalised technical participation: Trade unions have demanded formal inclusion in the AfCFTA technical and thematic subcommittees, as well as guaranteed access to relevant NIC working documents and consultation processes.

– 3. Call for data-driven monitoring and evaluation: Trade unions have urged the establishment of a labour-focused monitoring and evaluation (M&E) framework within the NIC to track job creation, trends in informality, and gender-related outcomes arising from AfCFTA implementation. This mechanism should be adequately resourced, institutionally anchored within the NIC, and implemented with the full participation of trade unions.

Through these efforts, ITUC-Africa continues to demonstrate its continental leadership in shaping a people-centred African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)—one that places decent work and trade justice at the core of Africa’s economic transformation. Across the region, ITUC-Africa is mobilising trade unions, strengthening their analytical and negotiating capacities, and asserting that trade reforms must uplift workers rather than entrench inequality.

The experience in Cameroon offers a compelling illustration of this leadership in practice. It shows that when workers are organised, informed, and strategically engaged, they become indispensable partners in the design of trade policies that generate decent jobs, protect labour rights, and distribute the gains of integration more equitably.
As the AfCFTA transitions from ambition to implementation, ITUC-Africa’s role remains critical in ensuring that Africa’s integration pathway is not only commercially viable, but also socially just, democratic, and inclusive.