Africa’s mining unions resolve pro-activism

By Konrad Kodjo DJAISI

?The African Federation of Miners and Mineral Wealth (‘the Federation’), a federation made up of giant mining trade unions across the continent of Africa – including the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union, has made a bold statement for Africans to derive maximum benefit from their rich mineral resources.

?At its second Executive Board Meeting in Lusaka, Zambia, the federation resolved among other things, to incorporate an investment company which will focus on identifying and growing mining assets across the continent of Africa for the federation and its members. This crucial decision was inspired by the fact that Africa is blessed with enormous natural resources but regrettably the poorest continent.

?With this bold step, the federation hopes to lead the crusade toward changing this longstanding narrative by transforming Africa and its people through the use of its natural resources.

?The Lusaka meeting, also resolved to aggressively embark on a membership recruitment drive to unite all mining unions in Africa under the federation to become a formidable force that would squarely represent, advocate, protect and promote the rights of mineworkers and trade unions across Africa.

This, the federation commits to do by working with member-unions to eliminate precocity in the world of work, promote occupational health and safety, and promote decent work both at the country level and across the entire continent of Africa.

?The federation also recognises that the African Mining Vision aligns with its aims and objects.

To help achieve the African Mining Vision which is expected to be a catalyst for Africa’s industrialisation and transformation, therefore, the federation commits to forge strong sustained partnerships and work collaboratively with African Governments and Regional Bodies such as the Africa Union, Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), Southern African Development Community (SADC), East African Economic Community (EAC), Economic Community of Central African States ( ECCAS), Community of Sahel-Saharan States ( CEN-SAD) and Arab Maghrab Union (UMA), etc. to ensure the full realisation of the benefits of the mineral wealth of Africa for the African people.

?Furthermore, to sustain its vision, the federation also resolved to continuously strengthen the capacities and deepen solidarity among member-unions of the federation through initiatives such as exchange programmes as well as training and education.

?The six-point declaration adopted at the Lusaka meeting was signed by AFMMW President Joseph Chewe and AFMMW Secretary-General Mohamed Ahmed Abdelhalim Ibrahim.

?The next Executive Board meeting of the federation is expected to be hosted by the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union in Accra-Ghana. This third Executive Board meeting will see the federation take far reaching steps to concretise the key decisions of the second Executive Board meeting held in Lusaka, Zambia.

?The African Federation of Miners and Mineral Wealth was established on February 27, 2024 in Cairo, Egypt, as the sole umbrella and mouthpiece for the African workers in the mining and mineral sector at the continental level, with its main objective to unite all mineworkers so as to make use of these natural resources for the benefit of the African people.

??It is made up of all mining trade unions across Africa, including the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union of the Trades Union Congress (Ghana).

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