1. REGIONAL REPORT WESTAFRICA THE NATIONAL CONTEXT

2. POPULATION Nigeria > Over 116m Ghana > Over 18m Sierra Leone > 4.9m LAND AREA Nigeria> 923,773 sq km Ghana> 239,537 sq km Sierra Leone> 71,740 sq km

3. CURRENCY Nigeria>Naira Ghana>Cedi Sierra Leone>Leone POLITICAL Independence Nigeria>1960 Ghana>1957 Sierra Leone> 1961 All the countries are democratic and unitary political system. There is great improvement for human and trade union rights

4. ECONOMIC Natural Resources > Export Nigeria >Petroleum Ghana>Gold, Cocoa and Timber Sierra Leone>Diamond and Bauxite The three countries economy is import driven

5. ECONOMIC POLICIES Ghana and Sierra are implementing the reforms agreed with the IMF in their three year poverty reduction and growth facility {PRGF} linked to the budget. Nigeria is implementing the National Economic Empowerment and Development {NEEDS].

6. IMPACT OF GLOBALISATION ON TRADE UNIONS Loss of membership Unemployment Weakening of social infrastructure Weak finances Casualisation, subcontracting and outsourcing

7. SOCIAL & LABOUR STRUCTURE Government Ministries in charge of promoting social welfare and labour. Social policy in Ghana and Sierra Leone is the contributory scheme for workers, whilst Nigeria system has collapsed.

8. PROBLEMS WITH THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE Subsistence living standard Poverty and weak social infrastructure High incidence of child abuse High unemployment rate High mortality levels Weak health and sanitation levels Unstable power supply {Nigeria and Sierra Leone}

9. STRUCTURE AND ORGANISATIONS OF TRADE UNIONS Nigeria National Delegates Conference National Executive Council Central Working Committee National Administrative Council State Delegates Conference State Executive Council State Administrative Council Ghana Delegates Congress Executive Board Steering Committee Finance Board Secretariat Regional/District/Councils

10. Sierra Leone National Conference National executive Council Various Committees National secretariat Regional Executive Council

11. NO. OF UNIONS: Nigeria >29 affiliates Ghana>17 affiliates Sierra Leone>21 affiliates

12. PROBLEMS IN THE AREA OF INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIS, POLITICAL AND REGIONAL INTERGRATION Free market operations Locally made goods and services at higher cost. Unemployment Braindrain within some categories of professionals.e.g. health workers. Finance to support elections

13. TRADE UNION TRAINING PROGRAMMES ON INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS, POLITICAL ECONOMY AND REGIONAL INTERGRATION -Nigeria and Sierra Leone, NEPAD and GLOBALISATION. -Ghana, Seminars on PRSP, NEPAD, WTO, BUDGET and other socio economic issues. -A training manual on international trading systems developed.

14. Bilateral meetings have been carried out between NLC and GTUC in both countries in 2002 and 2003. Others, COSATU, NLC, GTUC IN 2004. SLLC, NLC, GTUC IN 2004. Regional gender network meetings between NLC, GTUC, SLLC AND GAMBIA Trade Unions in 2004 December.