ITUC-Africa to Lead Debt Cancellation Rally in Accra
ITUC-Africa to Lead Debt Cancellation Rally in Accra
The African Regional Organization of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) will stage a major rally in Accra on Friday, August 29, 2025. The march, organized with Ghana’s Trade Union Congress (TUC), civil society groups, faith leaders, women’s and youth movements, will press for debt cancellation and fairer trade deals for Africa.
Joel Odigie, General Secretary of ITUC-Africa, said the action would renew calls to end “unjust debt and exploitative trade systems that drain Africa of its wealth.” He described the rally as part of wider civil society efforts to advance the African Union’s 2025 theme: Reparative Justice for Africa and People of African Descent.
Odigie stressed that debt remains a tool of neo-colonialism and neoliberal control. He pointed to the AU Debt Summit held in May 2025, where leaders adopted the Lomé Declaration. That declaration labelled debt a major obstacle to Africa’s growth and urged the cancellation of “odious debt.”
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Africa’s debt crisis is mounting. The continent’s sovereign debt hit $2.14 trillion in 2024. Twenty-two countries are at high risk of distress, while Chad, Ethiopia, Ghana and Zambia have already defaulted. Seven nations now spend more on debt servicing than on education, and 25 spend more on interest payments than on health care.
Campaigners warn the imbalance is unsustainable. Each year, Africa receives $162 billion in loans, aid and remittances but loses $203 billion through illicit financial flows and profit repatriation. That leaves a net deficit of $41 billion. “The bleeding of Africa must stop,” activists insist.
The rally will also spotlight concerns over the African Continental Free Trade Area (AFCFTA). While AFCFTA is expected to raise intra-African trade by more than 50 percent, unions fear it may reproduce patterns of inequality. “Trade must deliver decent jobs, not just GDP growth,” Odigie said. “We reject a race to the bottom where workers bear the cost of liberalization.”
Protesters will march from Obra Spot to Independence Square, carrying placards with messages such as Cancel Africa’s Debt Now, Debt Cancellation is Reparation, and People-Centered AFCFTA.
Organizers say the rally demonstrates a united front from Africa’s labor and civil society movements. They have also invited lenders, donors, and diplomatic missions to attend. “This is not just a Ghanaian protest,” ITUC-Africa said in a statement. “It is a continental campaign. We will deliver a petition to policymakers demanding debt cancellation, trade justice, and reforms to the global financial system.”
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