"Together we hold the key to a truly independent Africa. By helping each other up we can realise the ambition of our forebearers. Working people and their unions are committed to finding solutions to drive an Africa that delivers for our families and communities," said Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, General Secretary of ITUC-Africa.

African trade unions are growing. At workplace, sectoral, national and international level, they lead campaigns to ensure working people get a fairer share of the wealth they produce, to curb illicit financial flows and corruption and to ensure the expansion of decent work opportunities.

"I look around me and I see people from every part of the continent, all pulling in the same direction of progress. This is a decisive moment to bridge our overlapping struggles and unleash the strength of unity. We are the motor of the continent and we can drive accountability of the political class to deliver shared prosperity.

"Building industry is key as it ensures that the value added on top of natural resources, is added here. We African countries trade less amongst ourselves than any other region in the world. As a result, our domestic industry is swept away by competition from the outside. For workers that means that where there is industry, it is often controlled by far-off unaccountable multinationals. To build a unified Africa, where prosperity is shared, we must build bridges to those government bodies who we see are attempting to push things forward and we must tackle corruption wherever it rears its ugly head. Our message of unity resonates at every level," said Adu-Amankwah.