Decent work and just economy

The economies of African countries are predominantly characterised by the export of raw materials such as oil, minerals and agricultural products. Local value creation on the continent is very limited, and many industrial products have to be imported. Due to economic dependence on international markets, fluctuating commodity prices hit national budgets hard – a consequence, too, of historical dependencies dating back to the colonial era. Added to this are structural debt and financial crises in several countries, which are hindering investment in the future, as well as the rising costs of mitigating and adapting to the climate crisis. Economic growth rarely creates formal jobs: over 85 per cent of people in Africa work in the informal sector, often under precarious conditions. Young people in particular struggle to find regular jobs, and social mobility remains out of reach for most.

African governments are working on their own solutions, often within the framework of the African Union. A key project is the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which is designed to strengthen trade between African countries. If Germany and the EU are to remain attractive partners, they must also offer the predominantly young population sound economic prospects: for example, by expanding social security systems, mobilising financial support – not least in view of their historical responsibility for climate protection – and by cooperating on reforming the international financial architecture.

Europe remains Africa’s largest trading partner, and trade policy is crucial to the continent’s development. However, trade relations are often regarded as unbalanced: Europe exports expensive technology to Africa, whilst African states mostly supply unprocessed raw materials. The EU must take greater account of African interests in trade agreements in order to live up to its own claim of relations ‘on an equal footing’. 

The Friedrich-Ebert-Foundation therefore advocates an EU trade policy that places greater emphasis on sustainable development in line with the 2030 Agenda, as well as on the regional integration of African states. To shape and strengthen partnerships in a socially just manner and to harness the potential of young people, the FES promotes political dialogue involving trade unions and civil society expertise. This also addresses the consequences of the climate crisis: to ensure that people in Africa are not left to face these consequences alone, the FES, together with its partners, is committed to distributing the burdens and opportunities arising from the socio-ecological transformation and the necessary phase-out of fossil fuels fairly and in line with the principles of a just transition. Industrialised nations bear a particular responsibility in this regard.

Further information on the FES’s international work in the field of Climate Change, Energy and Environment as well as Global Economy and Corporate Responsibility can be found on our thematic portal “Shaping a Just World”.