The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) will, on Friday, 29th August 2025, lead the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Ghana and civil society movements, faith leaders, youth, and women’s organisations for a rally calling for debt cancellation and trade justice for the African continent.
The General Secretary of the regional trade union, Joel Odigie, said the rally will reiterate the demand for an end to unjust debt and exploitative trade systems that have bled Africa of its wealth.
He added that the rally is part of Africa’s non-state actors, especially the Stop the Bleeding Consortium (STB-C) contributions to giving pragmatic expression to the African Union’s (AU) theme, ‘Reparative Justice for African and People of African Descent’.
He noted that debt is a part of neo-colonial and neoliberal shackles undermining Africa’s socio-economic progress and development, saying the May 2025 AU Debt Summit in its Lome Declaration, affirmed that debt is a stumbling block to Africa’s development possibilities.
The declaration called for the cancellation of odious debt. Therefore, the forthcoming rally is a declaration and demand for debt cancellation for reparative justice.
Maintaining that Africa is a continent in crisis, he revealed that Africa’s sovereign debt has reached $2.14 trillion as of 2024, with 22 African countries at high risk of distress, and four already in default – Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia.
Currently, seven African countries spend more on servicing debt than on education, while 25 spend more on debt interest than on health.
‘The bleeding of Africa must stop’, campaigners pointed out that in a single year, Africa receives $162 billion in loans, aid and remittances but loses over $203 billion through illicit financial flows and profit repatriation – a net annual loss of $41 billion.
Therefore, the rally will make it clear that Africa will no longer accept a system of modern-day neo-colonial exploitation in which our resources serve creditors instead of our people.
ITUC-Africa’s scribe stated that the rally aims to take a stand against trade injustice.
Odigie noted that while the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) promises to boost intra-African trade by over 50 per cent, labour unions warn that without enforceable labour and social protections, AfCFTA risks repeating patterns of ‘jobless.
“Trade must deliver decent jobs, not just GDP growth. We refuse a race to the bottom where workers pay the price for Africa’s trade liberalisation,” ITUC-Africa declared.
The rally is billed to commence from Obra spot and terminate at Independence Square. The rally participants are expected to display banners and placards reading ‘cancel Africa’s debt now’, ‘debt cancellation is reparation’, ‘people-centred AFCFTA’ and ‘stop the bleeding’.
In coming together to execute the rally, ITUC-Africa said unions’ unity of purpose underscores the legitimacy and urgency of Africa’s demand for debt cancellation and fair trade.
It added: “Importantly, we have written to lenders and donors through their agents, embassies and organisations to join this rally. Their participation will demonstrate whether global financial institutions are ready to listen to Africa’s people and act on the urgent demand for justice.
“This is not just a Ghanaian moment – it is a continental campaign. Trade unions, civil society, and movements from across Africa will stand together to deliver a petition to policymakers, demanding debt cancellation, trade justice and reforms in the global financial system.”
