By Rachel Kakraba and Portia Sarpong
The African Trade Unions, under the auspices of the African Regional Organization of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC) of Ghana, will on Friday, 29 August 2025, lead a historic pan-African rally for debt cancellation and trade justice.
The rally is expected to serve as a bold statement by Africans demanding reforms to unjust and exploitative debt systems that have long drained the continent’s wealth and resources.
Secretary-General of TUC Ghana, Joshua Ansah, speaking at a news conference in Accra on Tuesday, 26 August, highlighted worrying trends in Africa’s debt servicing.
“Today, seven African countries spend more on servicing debt interest than on education, and 25 spend more on debt interest than on health. The bleeding of Africa must stop,” he declared.
He noted that in a single year, Africa received USD 162 billion in loans, aid and remittances but lost over USD 203 billion through illicit financial flows and profit repatriation – a net annual loss of USD 41 billion.
Vice-President Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang is expected to join the rally alongside African workers and citizens, which organisers say will demonstrate national leadership and continental determination to confront the crisis.
“In a significant demonstration of political will, Her Excellency the Vice President of Ghana, Prof. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, will march with African workers and citizens. This signals national leadership and continental resolve to confront a crisis that has left governments with impossible choices between servicing debt or serving their people,” Mr Ansah said.
He stressed that debt remains one of the neo-colonial shackles undermining Africa’s socio-economic progress. He recalled that the May 2025 AU Debt Summit, in its Lomé Declaration, affirmed that debt is a stumbling block to Africa’s development and called for the cancellation of odious debt.
The rally, described as a continental campaign, will present a petition to policymakers demanding urgent action.
“This is not a Ghanaian moment, it is a continental campaign. Trade unions, civil society organisations and movements across Africa will stand together to deliver a petition demanding debt cancellation, trade justice and reforms in the global financial system,” he added.
Civil society organisations, faith-based groups, youth movements and women’s organisations are also expected to participate, challenging what they describe as unjust debt burdens and exploitative trade systems.
“The rally is a defining moment for Africa’s economic future and a message to the world that Africa is united, organised and determined to demand reparative justice and reclaim its sovereignty,” Mr Ansah said.
General Secretary of ITUC-Africa, Akhator Joel Odigie, said Ghana was chosen to host the rally because of its historic role in African liberation.
“For us as a people and as a continent, Ghana is where our decolonisation and liberation struggle began. It was the first country to free itself from colonial rule, and we are returning to the cradle of our decolonisation. This rally is to tell creditors and the world that enough is enough,” he stated.
He urged African governments to prioritise responsible borrowing to improve citizens’ lives and called for the establishment of an African credit rating agency and a universal tax administration system to enhance trade.
The rally forms part of Africa’s non-state actors’ contributions – particularly the Stop the Bleeding Consortium (STB-C) – to the African Union’s 2025 theme: “Reparative justice for Africa and people of African descent.”
