Trade Union Conference on Economic Partnership Agreements – Africa/EU - Lome, Togo, 9-10 October

9-10 October 2017

Brussels, 5 October 2017.

 

Please find below and attached the Programme for the Conference entitled "Trade Union Conference on  Economic Partnership Agreements – Africa/EU" to be held in the city of Lomé,Togo, from 9-10 October 217.

 

 

 

“Trade Union Conference on

Economic Partnership Agreements – Africa/EU”

 

October 9-10, 2017

ITUC Africa Hotel, Lomé, Togo

 

Sunday, 8 October

 

Arrival of participants and registration:

CSI-Afrique centre FOPADESC

Route internationale d'Atakpamé

BP 4401 Lomé TOGO

Tel: 00228 22 50 60 87 / 22 50 17 12

Fax: 00228 22 25 61 13

E-mail: [email protected]

Site web: http://www.fopadesc.org/

 

19.00-22.00   Welcome Reception and Dinner

 

 

Monday, 9 October

 

09.30 - 10.15 Session I. Opening of the Conference

                        Welcoming remarks by:

 

Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, General Secretary, ITUC-Africa

Yorgos Altintzis, ITUC

Salvatore Marra, CGIL-Italy representing ETUC

 

10.15 – 12.00 Session II. What can EPAs do for trade union rights?

Chaired by Davids Etyang, EATUC

 

Short introductions by:

Boniswa Mahlangu, FEDUSA - South Africa

Yorgos Altintzis, ITUC

Philippe Réau, CFDT-France

 

General debate

 

12.00 – 14.00            Lunch break

 

14.00 – 15.15            Session III. The impact of trade liberalisation on Africa – what did we learn from past experiences?

 

Chaired by Rosselyn Uba-Anarah, NLC - Nigeria

 

Short introductions by:

Sylvester Bagoroo, Third World Network-Africa

Coovi Anselme Amoussou, CSA - Benin

Vaima Gounoung, UST - Chad

Faith Lumonya, SEATINI

 

General debate

 

15.15 – 15.45            Coffee and Tea break

 

15.45 – 17.00 Session IV. Gender and trade: adversely affected and excluded – how to overturn this reality?

Chaired by N ‘deye Nar Beye, UNSAS - Senegal

 

Short introductions by:

Mariama Williams, Senior Programme Officer, Global Governance for Development Programme, South Centre

Rachael Limbe, MTUC - Malawi

Paliani Chinguwo, SATUCC

 

General debate

 

17.00 – 17.45 Session V. Discussion on the Continental Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)

 

Chaired by a Komlan Eloi Nouwossan, UNSIT - Togo

 

Comments by Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, ITUC-Africa

 

General debate

 

18.30 – 20.30 Dinner

 

Tuesday, 10 October

 

9:30 – 12.00 Session VI. EPAs and agriculture: decent work and food sovereignty

(a 10 minutes break decided by moderator)

 

Chaired by Eric Manzi Mwezi, CESTRAR – Rwanda

 

Introductions by:

Jacques Berthelot, Agro-Economist/Professor

Kingsley Ofei-Nkansah, Foodspan - Ghana

Modeste Ndongala N'Sibu, UNTC - DR Congo

 

General debate

 

12.00 – 14.00            Lunch break

 

14.00 – 15.30 Session VII. An industrial policy for Africa: structural transformation

 

                        Chaired by Damaris Muhika, COTU - Kenya

 

Introductions by:

Peter Lunenborg, South Centre

Faith Lumonya, SEATINI

Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, GTUC – Ghana

 

General Debate

 

15.30 – 16.00            Coffee and Tea break

 

16.00 – 17.00 Session VIII. Action on EPAs – a Trade Union Statement

Chaired by Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, ITUC-Africa (Key messages)

 

Messages by:

Rosselyn Uba-Anarah, NLC - Nigeria (Policy space)

Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, GTUC – Ghana (Agriculture)

Salvatore Marra, CGIL-Italy (Solidarity)

 

In the presence of:

Embassies of African countries and EU Member states

EU Mission to Togo

 

Press conference after the end of the session – TBD on the date

 

17.00 Session IX. Concluding remarks

 

Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, General Secretary, ITUC-Africa

Philippe Réau, CFDT-France representing ETUC