International Labour Organization

Accueil
Côte d'Ivoire
Abidjan
International Labour Organization

Promoting decent work and social justice in Africa. The ILO became the first specialized agency of the UN in 1946.

The ILO was founded in 1919, in the wake of a destructive war, to pursue a vision based on the premise that universal, lasting peace can be established only if it is based on social justice. The first office of the ILO in Africa was established in 1959 in Lagos, Nigeria. In 1965 the ILO was the first UN agency to sign a Memorandum of Understanding with what is now called the African Union. The unique tripartite structure of the ILO gives an equal voice to workers, employers and governments to ensure that the views of the social partners are closely reflected in labour standards and in shaping policies and programmes.

19/09/2026

There is no social justice without decent work for all. 🌍

Decent work is at the heart of social justice.

It means fair opportunities, safe and healthy working conditions, adequate wages, social protection, workers’ rights and the possibility for everyone to build a better future through work.

Achieving social justice requires collective action, bringing together governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations, and partners across society to turn commitments into meaningful change.

Because social justice starts with decent work for all.

18/09/2026

“Africa has a major opportunity to turn expanding trade and regional integration into more and better jobs.

What is particularly significant is the broad agreement among governments, employers and workers that trade policy cannot work in isolation.

Employment policies and meaningful social dialogue can help ensure that growing trade and investment translate into opportunities that benefit both workers and enterprises.”

Fanfan Rwanyindo Kayirangwa, ILO Regional Director for Africa, on the new ILO report examining how trade and investment can translate into better employment outcomes across the continent.

The report draws on evidence and on a survey of 54 stakeholders across five African countries, Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Uganda, including representatives of governments, employers, workers and broader civil society.

Across stakeholder groups, employment policies emerge as a central condition for ensuring that trade delivers benefits for workers and enterprises, alongside social protection, education and training.

Read the report: https://www.ilo.org/publications/trade-investment-and-decent-work-africa

16/09/2026

From global commitments to action. 🌍

What does it take to turn commitments on social justice into concrete action?

The Global Coalition for Social Justice Annual Forum will bring together leaders and partners from governments, workers’ and employers’ organizations, international organizations, the private sector, civil society and academia to explore how collective action can advance social justice and decent work.

Join the conversation online:

📅 16–17 September 2026
🕐 13:30–16:30 CET
▶️ Watch on ILO Live

15/09/2026

Agriculture stands at the heart of both the opportunities and challenges of trade in Africa. 🌾

81% of stakeholders say agriculture in Africa has benefited from international trade.

Yet 80% say it is also the sector facing the greatest challenges from trade.

Trade can open new markets for African agriculture, but it can also deepen informality, highlighting the need for policies that help ensure that trade delivers better outcomes for workers and enterprises.

The findings are part of the new ILO report, Trade, Investment and Decent Work in Africa, based on a survey of 54 stakeholders in Ghana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Uganda.

Read the report: https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/workers-employers-and-governments-agree-need-link-trade-and-employment

14/09/2026

Does trade create decent jobs in Africa?

According to an ILO survey of 54 stakeholders across five African countries, 75% identify employment creation as one of the main benefits of international trade.

Yet 78% also identify limited employment opportunities as a major challenge.

This reflects the complex relationship between trade and employment. Trade can create jobs in some sectors while simultaneously leading to job losses in others.

And the issue is not only the number of jobs. Stakeholders also highlight challenges around informality, wages, working conditions and skills.

So what can make the difference?

89% identify employment policies as central to ensuring that trade delivers benefits for workers and enterprises. Social protection, education and training are also seen as critical.

The new ILO report examines the links between trade, investment and decent work in Africa, and what it takes to turn economic opportunities into better jobs.

Read the report: https://www.ilo.org/resource/news/workers-employers-and-governments-agree-need-link-trade-and-employment

12/09/2026

Across Africa, the Social and Solidarity Economy is evolving from individual initiatives and cooperative policies towards a more coordinated policy framework.

The African Union’s 2023–2032 SSE Strategy and Implementation Plan connects the SSE with employment, social protection, poverty reduction, finance, food security and inclusion. The UN Secretary-General describes it as a “continental milestone.”

🇸🇳 Senegal: 2026 designated the Year of Employment and the SSE, with a 3% public procurement quota for SSE entities.

🇨🇲 Cameroon: a General Register of Social Economy Units is being rolled out.

🇨🇮 Côte d’Ivoire: SSE legislation was adopted in 2026, alongside a national strategy for 2025–2027.

The next challenge is implementation: turning strategies and commitments into functioning institutions, sustainable financing and decent jobs.

The ILO coordinated the drafting of the report as Chair and Secretariat of the UN Inter-Agency Task Force on Social and Solidarity Economy, drawing on 40 contributions.

📘 Read the report: https://docs.un.org/en/A/81/288

10/09/2026

Behind every AI system, there is human labour.

Data annotation, content moderation, model training: these often-invisible tasks are essential to the development and deployment of AI.

Much of this work is outsourced to the Global South, with significant parts of these supply chains based in African countries.

From 9 to 11 September, the 9th Annual Conference of the International Network on Digital Labour (INDL-9) brings together researchers, policymakers and practitioners in Geneva to explore “AI Supply Chains: Building an interdisciplinary research agenda for AI and labour.”

The conference looks at what AI supply chains mean for decent work, from data annotation and content moderation to algorithmic management, responsible sourcing, regulation and social dialogue.

The goal: advance a human-centred research agenda that connects AI development with international labour standards and workers’ voice.

Jointly organized by the International Labour Organization (ILO), DiPLab (Digital Platform Labor), the Association for Computing Machinery Special Interest Group on Computers and Society (ACM SIGCAS), and Yale University.

Watch the sessions live 👉 https://live.ilo.org/group/indl-9-conference-ai-supply-chains-building-interdisciplinary-research-agenda-ai-and-labour

09/09/2026

En 2019, Daouda Camara perdait jusqu’à 2/3 de ses semences avant même de les mettre en terre.

Six ans plus t**d, son activité de maraîchage lui a permis de générer 2,2 millions de FCFA de revenus supplémentaires en une seule année.

Entre les deux : des semences de qualité, mais aussi un accompagnement technique pour mieux adapter les traitements aux maladies, aux ravageurs et aux différents stades de production.

Les résultats sont concrets.

Sa récolte de tomates par cycle est passée de 10–15 à 20–25 paniers de 50 kg.

Il a diversifié sa production avec deux nouvelles cultures : l’aubergine et le chou.

Cette diversification lui a généré 1,6 million de FCFA en 2025.

Et pour Daouda, le changement va au-delà des chiffres :

« Je ne considère plus le maraîchage comme une activité que je pratique par plaisir. »

Aujourd’hui, il souhaite produire toute l’année, développer son exploitation et partager son expérience avec d’autres producteurs de sa zone.

À travers le projet An Ka Baara au Mali, l’OIT contribue à transformer l’accès aux ressources, aux connaissances et aux compétences en opportunités économiques concrètes et durables.

Financé par l’Italie via l’Agence italienne pour la Coopération au Développement (AICS), et mis en œuvre avec l’appui de Mali Protection des Cultures.

Son histoire : https://www.ilo.org/fr/resource/actualites/au-mali-loit-transforme-le-maraichage-en-opportunite-de-revenus-pour-les

08/09/2026

A child is born. The responsibilities that follow are rarely shared equally.

Mothers are entitled to an average of 24.7 weeks of paid parental leave. Fathers get 2.2 weeks, a gap of more than five months.

In Africa, mothers are entitled to 13.2 weeks on average, while fathers are entitled to 0.4 weeks.

Smaller gaps do not always mean more equal sharing; in many low- and middle-income countries, they reflect limited entitlements for both parents.

When paid leave is so unequal, families have fewer real choices about how to share care.

ILO Convention No. 183 set minimum standards for maternity protection. Twenty-five years on, there is still a long way to go.

But maternity protection is only part of the picture. Closing the gap also requires paid, job-protected and non-transferable leave for fathers, long enough to make a difference.

Ratify Convention 183. Build on its foundation. Share the care.

Source: ILO Care Economy Brief, 2025 (2024 data)

07/09/2026

The world of work is changing rapidly.

Digitalization and artificial intelligence, the green transition and demographic shifts are reshaping jobs and the skills people need to thrive.

In this changing landscape, learning cannot stop at the end of formal education.

People need opportunities to develop and renew their skills throughout their working lives, to adapt to change, access decent work and build new opportunities.

As ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo says:
“Lifelong learning is the bridge between today’s jobs and tomorrow’s opportunities.”

Investing in lifelong learning means investing in people, more resilient societies and a future of work where no one is left behind.

Adresse

ILO Regional Office For Africa, Immeuble CCIA, Plateau
Abidjan
01BP3960

Site Web

http://www.ilo.org/africa

Notifications

Soyez le premier à savoir et laissez-nous vous envoyer un courriel lorsque International Labour Organization publie des nouvelles et des promotions. Votre adresse e-mail ne sera pas utilisée à d'autres fins, et vous pouvez vous désabonner à tout moment.