The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has called for a fundamental restructuring of Africa’s economy to ensure that the continent’s vast natural resources, workforce and productive capacity translate into decent jobs, higher incomes and improved living standards for its people.

The call followed the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption of a resolution promoting the use of the Equal Earth map projection, which ITUC-Africa said would correct the longstanding geographical distortion that has visually diminished Africa on world maps.

Spearheaded by Togo and supported by the African Union, the resolution was adopted by 164 UN member states.

In a statement issued in Lomé, Togo, ITUC-Africa General Secretary, Akhator Joel Odigie, commended the Togolese government and people for demonstrating what he described as “Pan-African spirit, determination and leadership” in advancing the initiative.

According to the organisation, the resolution’s significance extends beyond cartography, as the widespread use of the Mercator projection has contributed to a distorted perception of Africa as a small, peripheral and dependent continent.

ITUC-Africa argued that maps influence education, public perceptions, policymaking and understanding of political and economic power, correcting an important act of historical and representational justice.

However, the continental labour organisation said correcting Africa’s geographical representation must now be followed by a broader effort to correct what it described as the continent’s economic map.

It challenged African governments and policymakers to examine who owns and controls the continent’s land, minerals, energy systems, technology, financial institutions and productive assets.

The labour organisation said that despite Africa’s vast size and wealth, inequality remains rife, with economic power and wealth concentrated among a relatively small number of billionaires, multinational corporations and politically connected oligarchs. At the same time, millions of workers continue to face unemployment, informality, inadequate wages and limited social protection.

ITUC-Africa said the momentum generated by the “Correct the Map” campaign should therefore be converted into a wider Pan-African programme for structural economic transformation.

A major priority, it said, should be translating the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) from agreements and declarations into tangible benefits for African workers and citizens.

The labour body called for stronger regional integration, increased intra-African trade, improved infrastructure and freer and safer mobility for workers and people across the continent.

It also urged African countries to dismantle administrative, transportation and financial barriers that continue to fragment national economies and constrain regional cooperation.

Beyond trade integration, ITUC-Africa called for a shift away from dependence on raw material exports towards the development of regional value chains and productive industries capable of processing Africa’s resources within the continent.

It argued that such a transformation would require placing resources and productive assets under accountable and democratic stewardship.

The organisation said the ultimate measure of correcting Africa’s image should be whether ordinary Africans experience tangible improvements in their economic and social conditions.

It therefore called for decent work, living wages, universal social protection, quality public services and greater distributive justice to become central outcomes of the continent’s integration and development agenda.

The regional labour body congratulated Togo, the African Union and other proponents of the resolution. It, however, stressed that the greater challenge was ensuring that African workers and citizens occupy their rightful place in the continent’s economy and the global economic order.