Read this article in:
English
29 January, 2026A two-year mentorship scheme, backed by LO Norway, has equipped a dozen young women trade unionists from Ghana, Malawi and Tanzania with vital skills. Its overarching purpose is to bolster young women’s access to decent employment while promoting more inclusive, gender-responsive trade unions across Sub-Saharan Africa.
The initiative, run by IndustriALL Global Union, with support from LO-Norway, seeks to promote young female leaders within affiliated unions. These women are positioned to drive reforms that promote gender equality, combat gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) and elevate the participation, visibility, and influence of young women in union structures, collective bargaining, sectoral networks and international forums. Mentees receive targeted training in leadership, organising, advocacy, feminism ideology and technical competencies essential for reshaping unions’ gender priorities and fortifying worker representation.
The seven mentors, drawn from backgrounds in union revitalisation, feminism, gender equality, and skills development, brought considerable expertise to the programme and offered sustained guidance throughout.
Among its specific objectives the mentorship project aims to empower participants to emerge as future women union leaders, build their confidence and support their pursuit of elected roles at workplace, branch, sectoral, or national levels. The project also aims to deepen young women’s involvement in union activities by integrating them into collective bargaining teams, organizing drives and advocacy efforts; to establish study circles that mobilise and educate broader cohorts of young women; and to expand female engagement in sectoral, regional and IndustriALL initiatives.
On the policy front, it advances gender equality and the eradication of GBVH in unions and workplaces by aiding mentees in crafting equality policies, response mechanisms and awareness campaigns. All participants undergo training in gender equality, GBVH prevention, and mainstreaming, aligned with ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 on ending violence and harassment in the world of work. Mentees are further encouraged to contribute actively to women’s structures and gender committees in their respective unions.
Agnes Ama Agamasu, a human-resources professional at the Ghana Gold Board and member of the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union, reflected on her experience:
“The mentorship programme allowed me to reset and become a more effective leader. It built my confidence to engage with senior government officials and offered invaluable learning and cross-learning opportunities.”
Priscilla Aboagye, an accountant at PUMA Energy and member of the Ghana Transport, Petroleum and Chemicals Workers Union (GTPCWU), added:
“I joined the programme when my baby was just four months old and learnt to balance family life with working in a male-dominated industry. It was a genuine opportunity to step into leadership. I came to realise that skills and talent alone are insufficient; guidance is essential.”
IndustriALL Sub-Saharan Africa regional secretary, Paule-France Ndessomin, described the programme’s broader significance:
“The LO Norway mentorship initiative is more than mere capacity-building, it serves as a potent catalyst for gender transformation within Africa’s trade unions. By arming young women workers with the tools to champion inclusivity and spearhead resolute campaigns against GBVH, it not only fortifies unions in the present but also lays the foundation for a future in which every worker, irrespective of gender, enjoys equality, safety and empowerment.”