Africa-Press – Ghana. Mr Joshua Ansah, the Secretary-General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) has reaffirmed their commitment to Pan-Africanism, to decent work for all, to the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) that uplifts workers and communities.
He also reiterated the TUC’s commitment to a future where their children would inherit a continent defined not by struggle, but by justice, innovation and shared prosperity.
“As we look towards the future, the Pan-African vision must be translated into policies that place working people at the center of Africa’s development agenda,” Mr Ansah stated in his remarks at the Kwame Nkrumah Memorial Park in Accra during the 80th Anniversary Celebration of Manchester Declaration, which is referred to as the Fifth Pan-African Congress.
The Fifth Pan-African Congress was held at the Charlton-on-Medlock Town Hall, Manchester, United Kingdom, between the 15 and 21 October 1945 under the chairmanship of Dr Kwame Nkrumah, the then future leader of Ghana.
Mr Ansah, quoting Dr Nkrumah said, “The independence of Ghana is meaningless unless it is linked with the total liberation of our African continent.”
The Secretary-General said: “And today, that is all that we are looking for.”
He said 80 years ago in Manchester, their forebears guarded for the historic Fifth Pan-African Congress, stating that they were workers, intellectuals, trade unionists, freedom fighters, farmers, young people and women who shared one conviction, that the liberation and dignity of Africa, people must never be negotiated.
He noted that their forebearers met at a time of deep global crisis, yet they affirmed that Africa would chart its own destiny.
“Today, we meet under similar pressures. Our continent continues to battle the inequalities of the global economy, and the exploitation of our labor, erosion of democratic space, the climate emergency, illicit financial flows and debt burdens that compromise our capacity to develop,” he said.
He however said as they commemorated the historic anniversary, they also celebrated their collective strength, as in the same strength that empowered the leaders of 1945 to imagine a free and united Africa.
“Comrades, the fact remains that 80 years on, the message from Manchester still echoes, Africa must unite, not only for political reasons, but economically, socially and in defense of the dignity of its workers,” he added.
Mr Ansah reiterated that for those in the labour movement, the Fifth Pan-African Congress was not only a political event, but it was also a workers’ movement, saying its resolutions insisted on decent work, fair wages, social protection and an end to colonial labor practices which now remained urgent.
The African worker was still confronted with the carrousel, suppressed wages, unsafe workplaces, informality and the absence of social justice in trade and investment regimes, Mr Ansah stated.
The event, which was opened by President John Dramani Mahama attracted participants from across the globe.
Also in attendance were former President John Agyekum Kufuor, Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts and some Ministers of Foreign Affairs from other African countries.
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