The Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA; French: Organisation des syndicats d'Afrique de l'Ouest, Portuguese: Organização dos Sindicatos da África Ocidental) is a coalition of national trade union centres in West Africa.[1] OTUWA was founded in 1983 in Conakry, Guinea, and is currently led by executive secretary John Ejoha Odah.
Organisation of Trade Unions of West Africa | |
Founded | 1983 |
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Headquarters | |
Key people | John Ejoha Odah, Executive Secretary |
In 1986, OTUWA was accorded consultative status by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) as the representative organisation of trade unions in West Africa.[2] OTUWA supports the integration of process of ECOWAS, while calling for reductions in unemployment, integration of young workers into labour markets and the protection of migrant workers.[3]
In 2015, as part of a revival process, the headquarters of OTUWA was moved from Abidjan to Abuja in order to be closer to the ECOWAS secretariat.[4] In 2017, OTUWA was critical of the ECOWAS states for the lack of growth in the region and called for measures to facilitate development.[5] As of 2020, OTUWA has affiliates in all 15 ECOWAS states.[6]