THE ORGANISATION of Trade Unions of West Africa (OTUWA), in collaboration with the Danish Trade Union Development Agency (DTDA), is set to hold a regional workshop in Abuja on the implementation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Social Protection Framework and Operational Plan.
The workshop, scheduled for Monday, October 26, 2026, at Hotel De Bently, Utako, Abuja, will bring together trade unions and civil society organisations from across the region to examine how they can contribute to the implementation of the framework, a press release signed by Comrade John E. Odah, OTUWA’s Executive Secretary, revealed on Friday.
Themed: “ECOWAS Framework on Social Protection and Operational Plan: The Role of Trade Unions and Civil Society Organizations in its Implementation,” the meeting is expected to focus on strategies for strengthening the capacity of unions and civil society organisations to engage with the regional social-protection framework.
The implementation of the social-protection framework, OTUWA said, would have significant implications for working conditions, social security and workers’ rights across the region, making effective engagement by trade unions and civil society organisations important to the process.
According to press release, only approximately 16 per cent of West Africans are currently covered by at least one social-protection benefit, while public spending on social protection averages less than one per cent of gross domestic product across the region.
The organisation said the coverage gap is particularly pronounced among vulnerable groups, including women, agricultural workers and people in the informal economy.
It also noted that, with the exception of Cape Verde, West African countries are performing poorly in social-protection coverage.
The ECOWAS Social Protection Framework, according to the press release, is intended to guide member states in strengthening and expanding social-protection systems, improving access to essential services and promoting social inclusion across West Africa.
The framework was adopted at a high-level ECOWAS workshop in September 2025, the release stated.
OTUWA said the Abuja workshop would provide a platform for participating organisations to analyse the framework, identify strategic entry points for engagement and develop concrete action plans for influencing its implementation at national and regional levels.
The meeting will also address what OTUWA described as the “intersectional challenges” facing West Africa, with particular attention to the relationship between climate change and social protection.
The overall goal, the organisation said, is to strengthen the capacity of OTUWA and its affiliate trade unions and civil society organisations to effectively engage with implementation of the ECOWAS Social Protection Framework and Operational Plan for 2024–2028.
The programme will pay particular attention to the intersections between climate change, gender equality and regional integration, the organisation said.
Participants are expected from Benin, Ghana, Mali, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Togo.
