African trade unions have endorsed the re-election bid of International Labour Organisation (ILO) Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo, citing his leadership in keeping workers’ rights, social justice, and decent work at the forefront of the global agenda despite mounting financial and labour market challenges.
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) announced its endorsement in a statement signed by its General Secretary, Akhator Joel Odigie.
The organisation said Houngbo, whose first term expires in 2027, has formally declared his intention to seek a second term beginning in October 2027, and that the ILO has confirmed his candidature.
ITUC-Africa said continuity in the organisation’s leadership is essential to consolidate the progress achieved during Houngbo’s first term and further strengthen the ILO.
According to Odigie, Houngbo made history by becoming the first African elected Director-General of the ILO when he assumed office in October 2022, 103 years after the organisation was established.
He said the election marked a significant milestone, demonstrating that the leadership of international organisations should reflect the diversity of their membership and recognise the contributions of all regions.
Reflecting on Houngbo’s first term, Odigie said the ILO had navigated one of the most challenging periods in its history, characterised by financial pressures arising from reduced development funding, delays in assessed contributions, and disruptions to development cooperation.
He added that workers worldwide were simultaneously confronting rising inequality, unemployment, informal employment, armed conflicts, climate change, technological disruption, and persistent attacks on fundamental labour rights.
Despite these challenges, Odigie said Houngbo had provided steady leadership by keeping the ILO focused on its constitutional mandate, preserving its unique tripartite structure, and ensuring that social justice, decent work, and workers’ rights remained central to the organisation’s mission.
“Leadership must be judged not only by what is achieved when resources are plentiful, but also by the ability to preserve an institution’s purpose, unity and direction during a crisis,” Odigie said.
He said a second term would enable Houngbo to consolidate the gains recorded during his first tenure, strengthen the ILO’s institutional and financial resilience, and advance a more robust global agenda for social justice and decent work.
According to ITUC-Africa, supporting Houngbo’s re-election is not merely about backing an African candidate, but about endorsing an experienced leader who has demonstrated the capacity to steer the ILO through a period of uncertainty while promoting an inclusive multilateral system.
The organisation called on its affiliates to formally endorse Houngbo’s candidature, engage their respective governments to support his re-election, encourage workers’ representatives on the ILO Governing Body to back his bid, promote his candidature within national, regional, and international trade union structures, and communicate the importance of continuity, representative leadership, and a strong worker-centred ILO.
ITUC-Africa said Houngbo’s re-election would provide the ILO with the experienced leadership and stability required to navigate current challenges and emerge stronger.
The organisation also urged the African trade union movement to unite behind his second-term bid.
“An African leader has steadied the ship through the storm. Let us give him the mandate to strengthen it for the journey ahead,” Odigie said.
