51st ARLAC Governing Council Calls for Inclusive Policies to Tackle Informality and Promote Decent Work

The 51st African Regional Labour Administration Centre (ARLAC) Governing Council Meeting for Ministers Responsible for Labour/ Employment/ Manpower issues in Africa and High-Level Symposium on ‘Innovative approaches to tackling informality and promoting transitions towards formality to promote decent’ has closed in Lusaka, Zambia from 11 to 13 February 2025 with a call for governments to enact inclusive policies to ensure inclusion of innovative approaches and priorities enforcement of decent work standards. 

The closing ceremony which held at Mulungushi International Conference Centre was graced by Zambia’s Vice-President Mrs. W.K Mutale Nalumango.

Addressing the delegates, Vice-President Nalumango urged governments to enact inclusive policies and allocate resources for labour market reforms to ensure inclusion of innovative approaches and priorities enforcement of decent work standards.

“Addressing the shared labour market challenges requires a united effort. In response to these challenges, Zambia, as a proud member of ARLAC, is implementing and advocating for the following strategies that can be adapted across the region: simplifying registration processes to encourage formalization,” she said. “Tax rebates and provision of start-up loans for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) to help formalize their operations; leveraging digital tools to provide informal workers access to financial services, markets, and regulatory compliance, such as the Government Service Bus (GSB), mobile money services and e-banking.”

The Vice-President added that her government was strengthening partnerships between industries and education providers to align curricula with labour market demands and expanding Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) programmes to address emerging skills gaps.

She further urged governments to build strong national productivity organisations to catalyze economic transformation initiatives, promote positive attitudes towards work and support enterprise sustainability efforts aimed at achieving economic growth.

“We call upon employers to invest in workforce development, adopt fair employment practices, and support transitions to formal employment; workers’ organisations to champion the voices of vulnerable workers, particularly in the informal sector; as well as development partners and ARLAC to continue providing technical expertise, financial support, and platforms for regional cooperation,” said Vice-President Nalumango.

Meanwhile, ILO Assistant Director General and Regional Director for Africa Ms. Fanfan Rwanyindo Kayirangwa urged ARLAC Governing Council to employ innovative approaches in tackling informality in Africa.

In a speech read by ILO Country Office Director for Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique Mr. Wellington Chibebe, Ms. Kayirangwa further urged governments to embrace youths and emerging opportunities in technology advancement as they deal with informality in Africa.

“Let us to join forces to innovate around addressing particularly informality in Africa. We need to create more and better jobs, embrace the youthful energy of our beautiful continent and the emerging opportunities in technology advancement and in our responses to climate change,” she said. “We must be bold to decide and act, engage in whole of government and whole of society approaches to do better by and for ourselves.”

And Zambia’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Mrs. Brenda Tambtamba asked member States to continue providing financial and technical support to ARLAC, stating that the Harare-based centre was faced with financial and operational constraints.

Chairing the High-Level Symposium on ‘Innovative approaches to tackling informality and promoting transitions towards formality to promote decent’ moderated by ILO Country Office Director for Zimbabwe and Namibia- Ms. Philile Masuku and presented by ILO Informal Economy Specialist- Ms. Annamarie Kiaga, Mrs. Tambatamba said ARLAC has contributed greatly towards strengthening labour administration systems on the African continent.

“Notwithstanding this solid record of its achievements, ARLAC continues to operate under acute financial and technical constraints. As a contribution to ameliorating the foreseen challenges of our organisation, allow me to suggest, for your consideration in this meeting, that the once-off contribution of USD 2,000 you made towards the celebration of the Golden jubilee of ARLAC be converted into a permanent additional member countries’ contribution towards the reinforcement of our efforts to enhance ARLAC’s capacity to deliver on its mandate,” she said.

The meeting drew participation from Zambia’s Minister of Labour and Social Security, Mrs. Brenda Tambatamba, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, who is also ARLAC chairperson Mr Edgar Moyo, Retired Major General Pius Mokgware, Minister of Labour and Home Affairs for Botswana, as well as Lesotho’s Minister of Employment and Labour Tseliso Makhosi.

Others were; South Africa’s Deputy Minister of Employment and Labour, Judity Nemadzinga Tshabalala, ILO Decent Work Team (DWT) Director for Eastern and Southern Africa-  Mr. Alexio Musindo, ILO Country Office Director for Zimbabwe and Namibia-  Ms. Philile Masuku, ILO Informal Economy Specialist-  Ms. Annamarie Kiaga; South Africa High Commissioner to Zambia-  His Excellency Saad Cachalia, Zimbabwe Ambassador to Zambia- Her Excellency Charity Charamba, Zambia’s, Permanent Secretaries of Labour, Principal Secretaries of Labour, Employers and Workers’ organisations representatives, Chief Executive Officers from various private and parastatal organizations, as well as the academia.