African women educators and unionists advocate for leadership and workplace safety

African women educators and trade unionists are convening across the continent to advocate for gender equality and increased female leadership in the labor movement.

In Brazzaville, Congo, female union leaders from eight countries—including Chad, Gabon, Cameroon, and Rwanda—gathered for a workshop focused on strengthening the leadership of women and young educators. During the event, the Fetrasseic union announced an advocacy push for the Congolese government to ratify ILO Convention 190, which addresses violence and harassment in the workplace.

Simultaneously, the second ITUC-Africa Women’s Biennial Conference opened in Lomé, Togo. The conference aims to enhance women’s participation in decision-making and address how digitalization, climate change, and economic restructuring affect working conditions. ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo addressed the conference virtually, emphasizing that gender equality is essential to social justice and that without proactive inclusion, existing inequalities will be reproduced in future economies.