REGIONAL REPORT WESTAFRICA

THE NATIONAL CONTEXT

THE NATIONAL CONTEXT

POPULATIONNigeria > Over 116mGhana > Over 18mSierra Leone > 4.9m

LAND AREANigeria > 923,773 sq kmGhana > 239,537 sq kmSierra Leone > 71,740 sq km

CURRENCYNigeria > NairaGhana > CediSierra Leone > Leone

POLITICAL

IndependenceNigeria > 1960Ghana > 1957Sierra Leone > 1961

All the countries are democratic and unitary political system. There is great improvement for human and trade union rights

ECONOMIC

Natural Resources > Export

Nigeria > Petroleum

Ghana > Gold, Cocoa and Timber

Sierra Leone > Diamond and Bauxite

The three countries economy is import driven

ECONOMIC POLICIES

• Ghana and Sierra are implementing the reforms agreed with the IMF in their three year poverty reduction and growth facility {PRGF} linked to the budget. Nigeria is implementing the National Economic Empowerment and Development {NEEDS].

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• IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION ON TRADE UNIONS

Loss of membership

Unemployment

Weakening of social infrastructure

Weak finances

Casualisation, subcontracting and outsourcing

• SOCIAL & LABOUR STRUCTURE

Government Ministries in charge of promoting social welfare and labour.

Social policy in Ghana and Sierra Leone is the contributory scheme for workers, whilst Nigeria system has collapsed.

• PROBLEMS WITH THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE

• Subsistence living standard• Poverty and weak social infrastructure• High incidence of child abuse• High unemployment rate• High mortality levels• Weak health and sanitation levels• Unstable power supply {Nigeria and Sierra

Leone}

• STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATIONS OF TRADE UNIONS

Nigeria

National Delegates ConferenceNational Executive CouncilCentral Working CommitteeNational Administrative CouncilState Delegates ConferenceState Executive CouncilState Administrative Council

Ghana

Delegates CongressExecutive BoardSteering CommitteeFinance BoardSecretariatRegional/District/Councils

• Sierra LeoneNational Conference

National executive Council

Various Committees

National secretariat

Regional Executive Council

• NO. OF UNIONS:

Nigeria > 29 affiliates

Ghana > 17 affiliates

Sierra Leone > 21 affiliates

• PROBLEMS IN THE AREA OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIS, POLITICAL AND REGIONAL INTERGRATION

Free market operationsLocally made goods and services at higher cost.UnemploymentBraindrain within some categories of professionals.e.g. health workers.Finance to support elections

• TRADE UNION TRAINING PROGRAMMES ON INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS, POLITICAL ECONOMY AND REGIONAL INTERGRATION

- Nigeria and Sierra Leone , NEPAD and GLOBALISATION.

- Ghana, Seminars on PRSP, NEPAD, WTO, BUDGET and other socio economic issues.

- A training manual on international trading systems developed.

• Bilateral meetings have been carried out between NLC and GTUC in both countries in 2002 and 2003. Others, COSATU, NLC, GTUC IN 2004. SLLC, NLC, GTUC IN 2004. Regional gender network meetings between NLC, GTUC, SLLC AND GAMBIA Trade Unions in 2004 December.