May 25, 2026
By Victor Ahiuma-Young
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC-Africa, has lashed out at African leaders, multinational corporations and global financial systems over what it described as the massive looting of Africa’s wealth while millions of citizens remain trapped in water, sanitation and energy poverty.
In a worded Africa Day statement issued from Lomé, Togo, the labour body said Africa loses more than $580 billion annually — about $1.6 billion every day — through corruption, illicit financial flows, tax evasion and profit shifting, even as millions across the continent lack access to clean drinking water, electricity, healthcare and decent jobs.
According to the statement signed by ITUC-Africa General Secretary, Akhator Joel Odigie, “Every illicit financial flow is stolen water. Every tax haven is a stolen sanitation. Every corrupt deal is stolen electricity, healthcare, education, housing, and hope.”
