Trade unions and civil society organisations from Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda have called for an immediate reversal of privatisation policies in water, electricity, and waste management sectors across Africa, declaring that the model has failed to serve the public interest.
The demand came at the end of a two-day regional meeting held under the theme “Promoting Transparency and Decent Work in Supply Chains in Electricity, Water, and Waste Services in Sub-Saharan Africa”.
The gathering, organised by Public Services International (PSI) in collaboration with DGB Bildungswerk Bund (DGB BW), brought together stakeholders who shared experiences and formulated strategies to promote decent work and reclaim public control over essential services.
In a communique issued at the end of the meeting, participants observed that Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) and privatisation models have undermined access to quality, affordable, and accountable public services across the continent despite being promoted by International Financial Institutions (IFIs) like the World Bank and the IMF.
“Rather than delivering improved services, privatisation has deepened inequality, entrenched corruption, and weakened public institutions,” the groups stated.
The stakeholders identified several critical failures of privatisation, including escalating user fees, shrinking service coverage, erosion of public revenues, increased vulnerability to corruption, and accumulation of long-term debt by African governments from IFI-financed privatisation ventures.
Participants also noted that privatisation has taken increasingly covert forms, including corporatisation, concessions, subletting, and the rise of Independent Power Producers (IPPs), which they described as “privatisation through the backdoor.”
The trade unions and civil society groups also expressed concern about precarious employment conditions in the supply chains of water, electricity, and waste services, characterised by job insecurity, low wages, wage arrears, and the absence of social protection.
The pressure groups called on African governments, particularly those of Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda, to immediately reverse all existing privatisations in the water, electricity, and waste sectors and suspend any ongoing or planned discussions on the privatisation of public assets.
It also urged governments to reject all IFI-driven initiatives that promote the commodification of essential public services and instead adopt Public-Public Partnerships (PUPs) as “a viable, democratic, and socially just alternative.”
Other recommendations included reinvesting in human capital within the public sector, ratifying and implementing key International Labour Organization (ILO) Conventions, and strengthening social dialogue by restoring tripartite governance frameworks.
The communique urged African governments to “Put people before profit by halting the privatisation of essential services and reaffirming the public sector as the cornerstone of democratic development, equity, and sustainable livelihoods.”
The meeting was endorsed by several organisations, including Nigeria’s Amalgamated Union of Public Corporations, Civil Service Technical and Recreational Services Employees (AUPCTRE), National Union of Electricity Employees (NUEE), and Citizens Free Service Forum (CFSF), among others.
Kenyan signatories included the Union of Kenya Civil Servants, County Government Workers Union, and Kenya Electrical Trade and Allied Workers Union, while Ugandan endorsers included the Uganda Electrical Allied Workers Union, Uganda Local Government Workers Union, and Uganda Public Employees Union