The Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA), in collaboration with Danish Trade Union Development Agency (DTDA), has commenced action to develop training and campaign materials for the purpose of equipping trade unions and civil society organisations in West Africa region.
OTUWA and DTDA kickstarted the action during a brainstorming session at a conference on social protection in Abuja.
Representatives of OTUWA members in states across the region were present at the conference.
Presenting a welcome address at the opening session, Deputy President of OTUWA, Comrade Sophie Kourouma, who represented Comrade Mademba Sock, president of the organisation, stressed the importance of the workshop and noted the gains of OTUWA partnership with the Danish Trade Union Development Agency (DTDA) on the critical issue of Social Protection in the West African subregion.
Comrade Kourouma further noted that issue of social protection has been a recuring matter of importance to the UN and its specialised agencies like the International Labour Organisation (ILO), United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF), the United Nation Development Programme (UNDP) and the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).
Kourouma added that the quest for universal social protection assumed prominent front row with the COVID-19 global pandemic, which threw the entire world out of its strides and nations had to impose unprecedented stay at home measures while scientists struggled to find curtailment and cure mechanisms.
“This workshop is devoted to the twin issues of developing training and campaign materials that will eventually result in a manual for use by trade unions and civil society organisations in the sub-regions. It also intends to put in focus the issue of funding of social protection for citizens of our ECOWAS community. The aim of this programme as contained in the concept note earlier sent out are as stated:
“To discuss and agree on the content and form of a training manual on Universal Social Protection in West Africa. To discuss and agree on the content and form of a campaign strategy for achieving universal social protection in West Africa. To develop the content of initial draft manual for training and campaign by trade unions and civil society organisations on universal social protection in the countries of West Africa. To discuss and agree on the modus operandi of a network of Social Protection activists and educators in the West African subregion,” the deputy president added.
On his part, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Economic Community of West African States, Professor Fatou Sow Sarr, said; “The promotion of social protection and its importance in the achievement of the SDGs, in particular target 1.3 of the SDGs which calls for the implementation of nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all by 2030 to ensure substantial coverage of the poor and vulnerable must be an objective and a commitment for all of us.”
“Available data on the population receiving at least one cash benefit under social protection (SDG 1.3.1) indicates that West Africa, with 13%, is the lowest region compared with the other regions of Africa, with a continental average of 18%. It is also important not to lose sight of the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, which highlighted the persistent inequalities and major gaps that remain in our countries in terms of the coverage, comprehensiveness and adequacy of social protection to the needs of our populations.
“This painful period has shown us that no one is protected until everyone is protected: wherever we live, whatever our background, origins or activity, our well-being is closely dependent on that of others. When some of us can’t seek treatment or quarantine ourselves because we don’t have income security, the whole of public health is compromised and our collective well-being suffers.
“It is therefore urgent, indeed crucial, for our region to invest in strengthening social protection, which is both a fundamental human right and a social and economic necessity capable of improving the standard of living of our citizens in the ECOWAS region and contributing to the vision of “a fully integrated community of peoples in a peaceful and prosperous region, with strong institutions that respect fundamental freedoms and work towards inclusive and sustainable development”. We very much welcome this initiative by OTUWA and urge other organisations in the region to do the same, thereby at the same time laying the groundwork for improving social protection in ECOWAS Member States.
“ILO estimates of social protection expenditure at continental and regional level show that West Africa has a rate of less than 1.0%, which is the lowest of all African regions. This situation is simply unacceptable and requires us to redouble our efforts to ensure that social protection is accessible to the entire population, including workers in the informal economy, rural areas and vulnerable populations in emergency and non-emergency situations.
“The importance of social protection because of its dual economic and social function is that it helps to break the intergenerational cycle of poverty, reduce inequalities and generate resilience to future shocks and promote inclusive people-centred sustainable development.”
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