Workers in the Global South are particularly affected by sovereign debt crises. Addressing these crises is therefore also a key issue for trade unions in the Global South.

At the end of October 2025, Akhator Joel Odigie, General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation in Africa (ITUC-Africa), visited Germany. Together with erlassjahr.de, he participated in a five-city Speaker’s Tour, sharing insights into his work (see also Lukas Braun’s blog post, in German).

The tour aimed to highlight the connection between debt justice and workers’ rights from a trade union perspective and to engage a broad public audience through a series of events. It also offered an opportunity for civil society organizations in Germany to build new networks and strengthen existing ties with trade union and civil society partners. To make this possible, we collaborated with a wide range of partners (see also blog post in German).

For our annual member newspaper, the Entschuldungskurier, published in September 2025, we had already conducted an interview with Akhator Joel Odigie before the tour, which we would now like to share here as well.

Akhator Joel Odigie, a Nigerian activist and trade unionist, has two decades of experience in the labour movement. He earned a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Ambrose Alli University in Nigeria and a Master’s degree in Labour and Globalisation from the Berlin School of Economics and Law. Odigie describes himself as a Pan-Africanist. Since 2023, he has been the General Secretary of the International Trade Union Confederation – Africa (ITUC-Africa), an organization that currently represents more than 18 million workers in 52 of Africa’s 55 countries.

Paula Bünger, erlassjahr.de: Many countries on the African continent are particularly affected by the global debt crisis. In what ways does the debt crisis impact workers specifically?

Akhator Joel Odigie: The debt crisis has very tangible negative consequences for workers. As more public revenues are diverted to debt interest payments, governments must cut back on wages, public sector jobs, and services. Specifically, in Ghana, interest payments in 2023 consumed nearly half of government revenue, forcing cuts to teachers’ recruitment and freezing health workers’ posts. In Zambia, debt distress led to delayed salary payments for public servants, while in Kenya, budget reallocations reduced funding for affordable housing schemes. This squeezes budgets for social protection, forcing wage freezes, staff reductions, and deterioration of healthcare and education systems – eroding workers’ rights, income security, and conditions.

The bigger consequences of the harm to public service delivery are that more people are thrown into poverty and misery. Where citizens are not experiencing the dividends of democracy, apathy and despondence, and avoidable protests are likely, which may undermine the consolidation of democracy.

erlassjahr.de: What are the key demands of ITUC Africa and trade unions in African countries?

Akhator Joel Odigie: We called on the African governments to adopt transparent debt frameworks; prioritise public funding for education, health, and social protection over austerity and debt servicing. For example, Senegal could redirect part of its debt service—currently larger than its education budget—towards rural school infrastructure and teacher training.

We reiterated our position on debt cancellation. We demand that international lending institutions, especially the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), must cancel odious debt. This is a position that we will pursue until we see fundamental changes.

These were not flippant demands. Our call is grounded in the reality that 57% of Africa’s population, around 751 million people, live in countries that spend more on external debt servicing than on education or healthcare.

erlassjahr.de: What strategies are trade unions in Africa pursuing to address the debt crisis?

Akhator Joel Odigie: For example, in Tunisia, public sector unions have presented alternative budget proposals showing how debt service savings could be invested in renewable energy jobs. Already, we are mobilising workers, building alliances with progressive governments, civil society, and legislators to demand responsible spending. We are mobilising across the continent to say no more repaying odious debt. Let it be clear that we are open to restructuring legitimate debts so that they do not erode policy spaces for governments’ interventions to counter poverty, misery, hardship and national climate emergencies. Most importantly, trade unions across Africa are mobilising and rallying on the streets for “total debt cancellation”. Unions on the continent are together calling for debt cancellation, which has been caused by irresponsible creditor behaviour and appetite, neoliberal policies that stagnate Africa’s growth and extractive colonisation. We are saying “enough is enough”. We cannot stand by as Africa is mortgaged to the highest bidder.

erlassjahr.de: How else is ITUC-Africa working on the issue of debt, and what is planned for the near future?

Akhator Joel Odigie: ITUC-Africa has launched a Position Paper on Debt Towards a New Framework for Debt Sustainability and Development in Africa in Accra, Ghana, on August 28, 2025.

Further, we are embedding debt justice at the core of our climate, industrial, and social policy engagements, working in concert with the African Union, national trade union centres, and the African Group of Negotiators (AGN) in the COP processes. We have commenced a continental-wide campaign demanding unconditional debt cancellation, recognising that debt is not merely a fiscal issue but a structural barrier to Africa’s development sovereignty. On August 29 in 2025, we held a mass rally in Accra, Ghana, to demand debt cancellation as a means of reparation. We have staged two rallies in 2024 (Lusaka, Zambia) and early 2025 in Grand Bassam, Côte d’Ivoire. We are using the rallies to deepen public awareness and education on debt and to show our people’s position on debt to the creditor clubs.

erlassjahr.de: What other campaigns is ITUC-Africa currently running? Are there any overlaps with the debt campaign?

Akhator Joel Odigie: Absolutely. Our Just Transition and Public Pathways campaigns are deeply intertwined with the debt justice agenda, because you cannot invest in climate resilience, clean energy, and public infrastructure without fiscal space. Yet, in many African countries, this space is being suffocated by unsustainable debt servicing. Our labour migration governance work also intersects directly: remittances, which should be strengthening local economies and public services, are too often diverted, directly or indirectly, towards servicing national debts rather than advancing human development.

We are also driving the Stop the Bleeding Campaign under the Tax Justice Network Africa, working alongside progressive civil society organisations to curb the massive haemorrhaging of public resources through illicit financial flows. These flows, estimated at over US $88 billion annually from Africa, rob governments of the very revenues needed to pay workers fairly, fund education and health, and invest in sustainable development. Across all our campaigns, the message is consistent: we must reclaim public resources for people’s rights, not for creditors’ profits.

erlassjahr.de: What was the significance of the African Union Conference on Debt in Lomé, Togo, in May 2025, also from a trade union perspective?

Akhator Joel Odigie: The Lomé Africa Debt Summit rescripted the debt narrative: debt was framed as a socio-political issue, not a technical one. Leaders committed to amplifying Africa’s collective voice in debt negotiations, pushing for reforms in global finance, and boosting domestic resource mobilisation. But the challenge now lies in holding leaders and financial institutions accountable for these agendas. The Lomé Declaration provides concrete solutions to address the debt crisis and measures to mobilise more financing for development on the continent.

It calls for the implementation of measures at national, continental, and global levels to solve Africa’s debt problem in line with Agenda 2063, and to leverage AU membership in the G20 to push for reforms in the global financial system—especially the G20 Common Framework—to ensure timely and adequate debt relief. The reform of the G20 Common Framework should create a universally accepted method for comparability of treatment in order to enhance transparency and inclusivity, and to coordinate negotiations across all creditor types. At the same time, debt servicing during restructuring should be suspended, and climate and nature debt swaps should be allowed, while also expanding eligibility to middle-income countries. All of this should be accompanied by the establishment of a supranational legal enforcement mechanism.

From a trade union perspective, while the Lomé Declaration offers essential measures to address Africa’s debt crisis, specific proposals require caution. In particular, the promotion of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) in public utilities is a no-go area, as past experiences show such arrangements often lead to privatisation, job losses, and reduced access to essential services. Likewise, over-reliance on carbon trading and speculative instruments such as Panda bonds could expose countries to new financial risks without guaranteed developmental gains. Debt-for-nature swaps must also include strong social safeguards to protect workers’ livelihoods and community rights. Unions favour financing models that keep public services under democratic control, prioritise social needs, and strengthen domestic resource mobilisation.

erlassjahr.de: How can we better connect struggles for debt justice and workers’ rights across countries? How can Global North movements and unions support?

Akhator Joel Odigie: The fundamental transformation will happen when working people in the Global North demand accountability, fairness, and solidarity from their governments, banks, and corporations in dealings with the Global South. By aligning on a shared narrative that debt justice is foundational to wage justice, gender equality, social protection, employment creation, and climate resilience, we can bridge struggles for debt justice and workers’ rights across borders. Our Global North comrades can play a vital role by amplifying African voices, pressuring their governments to reform international debt systems, and offering solidarity through research, campaign toolkits, and cross-border advocacy. Through coordinated global campaigns, we can shift both norms and policies toward a more just and equitable international order.

Thank you, Akhator Joel Odigie, for answering our questions and for coming on a Speaker’s Tour with us!

Funding Information

This publication was co-funded by the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of erlassjahr.de and do not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.