Feature: Wake-Up Call to OATUU: Reclaiming the Trade Union Mandate for African Transformation -The Wake-Up Call!

The Organization of African Trade Union Unity (OATUU) remains a sleeping giant—a formidable representative of workers across Africa’s formal sector, as well as informal workers, peasant farmers, market women, artisans, and allied labour constituencies. Within African trade union circles, OATUU possesses an immense, yet underutilized, mobilizing power.

This positive energy must be consciously redirected toward the collective social protection, welfare, and economic dignity of Afrizens.
At a time when Afrika continues to wrestle with the unresolved legacies of the Berlin Conference and the evolving architecture of neo-colonialism – OATUU must rise decisively and now.

The continent is confronted by proxy administrations and anti-Afrikan governance structures, often parading under distorted democratic deceptive practices.

OATUU cannot remain passive but purposive in action.It must assert itself as a continental force capable of weakening—and ultimately defeating—these retrogressive systems through organized labour solidarity, policy engagement, and strategic social partnership.

OATUU and the Pan-African Imperative:

OATUU must transit strongly to tangible action, aligning its mandate with the core objectives of Pan-Afrikanism and the long-envisioned Continental Union Government Now.

This includes:Identifying, amplifying, and consolidating African success stories;
Defending progressive integration efforts against neo-colonial resistance;
Mobilizing workers as active agents of continental transformation.

The common adversary understands precisely which “daggers” to deploy to keep Africa fragmented and perpetually exposed to exploitation.It also understands the historic potency of organized labour.

That is why OATUU’s reawakening is both urgent and strategic.

The task is vast—but achievable.
With-
-discipline,
-clarity, and
-results-driven leadership,OATUU can rise to the moment.

A Strategic Role in Social Partnership and State Transformation:

Critical areas where OATUU must assert leadership is in-
The domestication and implementation of the African Union Decision on the African Passport, tied directly to the Protocol on Free Movement of Persons.

This continental vision is firmly anchored in key AU instruments-The Lagos Plan of Action (1980) Designed to promote self-reliant and self-sustaining economic and social development through an inward-looking African strategy.

The Abuja Treaty (1994)

 

Intended to establish progressive economic integration—leading to a continental free trade area, customs union, common market, and ultimately a single African currency.

Agenda 2063 (Adopted 2013)

Particularly Aspiration 2, which envisions an integrated Africa with seamless borders and unrestricted movement of people, goods, and services.

The African Passport, officially launched at the 27th AU Summit in Kigali in July 2016, represents a practical instrument to actualize this vision.
The Free Movement Protocol, adopted in 2018, further reinforces this commitment.

Member States were urged to ratify and implement these frameworks, in collaboration with the AU Commission, which has already provided technical support – OATUU’s supplementary role here is indispensable.

Why Free Movement Must Concern OATUU:

Economically, the African Passport and Free Movement Protocol are projected to:
Boost intra-African trade;Stimulate investment and cross-border enterprise;

Expand employment opportunities, especially for the Afrikan youth;
Strengthen labour mobility and worker protections.When fully aligned with the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), these instruments have the potential to lift millions of Afrizens out of poverty.

Yet progress remains slow.

Persistent challenges include-

(a) Bureaucratic inertia, (b) Security concerns, and
(c) Limited political prioritization.

These gaps demand organized labour advocacy—and that is precisely where OATUU must step in.

A Practical Example: Ghana–Burkina Faso

On 21 November 2025, Ghana and Burkina Faso signed a Free Roaming Memorandum of Understanding between Ghana’s National Communications Authority (NCA) and Burkina Faso’s ARCEP. This initiative enables seamless cross-border communication without additional roaming charges.

This success demonstrates that regional integration is possible when institutions act decisively.

The same logic can be extended to transport and vehicular licensing, where common registration systems could be explored, such as:

AU-001-GH

AU-001-BF

AU-001-SA

AU-001-NA

AU-001-BW

Such harmonization would further deepen free movement while maintaining regulatory discipline and road safety standards.

A Call to Action:
What OATUU Must Champion-

The African Continental Unity Council of the ACUC respectfully urges OATUU to:

Prioritize the domestication of the AU Decision on the African Passport and the Free Movement Protocol;Accelerate national-level implementation, including issuance of the African Passport to citizens;

Lead public education and stakeholder engagement, ensuring broad citizen understanding and support.Given its continental reach and organizational capacity, OATUU should serve as a strategic partner to states, particularly in
(1) population data mobilization,
(2) worker registration systems, and
(3) public sensitization.

As agreed in Kigali, issuance formats such as:

AU Passport (Ghana)

AU Passport (Burkina Faso)

AU Passport (South Africa)

AU Passport (Namibia)

AU Passport (Botswana)

remain consistent with national sovereignty while advancing continental identity.

Conclusion:

Africa does not lack vision—it lacks coordinated execution.Organized labour has historically been a catalyst for political liberation and social justice.

Today, OATUU must reclaim that legacy, positioning itself at the forefront of Africa’s
(i) integration,
(ii) mobility, and
(iii) economic emancipation.

The moment demands: -courage,clarity, and commitment to succeed!

The giant must awaken.

By Benjamin Anyagre Aziginaateeg,
AfriKan Continental Union Consult (ACUC),
Ghana Chapter.

 

 

The post Feature: Wake-Up Call to OATUU: Reclaiming the Trade Union Mandate for African Transformation -The Wake-Up Call! appeared first on The Ghanaian Chronicle.

Read Full Story