The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC-Africa) has urged world leaders to prioritise peace, dialogue and human development over wars and militarisation.

The organisation, which represents more than 18 million African workers, said escalating conflicts, civilian casualties and disregard for international law threatened global peace and human dignity.

This is contained in a statement signed by Akhator Odigie, general secretary of ITUC-Africa, and issued on Monday in Abuja.

Mr Odigie said the world must urgently redirect its priorities towards peace, justice and shared prosperity.

“The global military expenditure reached a record 2.887 trillion dollars in 2025, representing a 41 per cent increase over the preceding decade,” he said.

He said military spending in Africa also rose by 8.5 per cent to $58.2 billion, while resources for development and humanitarian assistance continued to decline.

According to him, the world was finding trillions of dollars to prepare for war while withdrawing billions needed to keep people alive.

He said the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reported that official development assistance fell by 23.1 per cent in 2025, its sharpest annual contraction on record.

Mr Odigie said declines were projected to continue in 2026, even as governments increased military commitments and humanitarian agencies struggled to provide essential assistance.

He described the situation as a dangerous global arms race, with governments competing to perfect instruments of destruction while millions struggled to meet basic needs.

Mr Odigie cited Sudan, where 15.4 million people urgently required emergency shelter and essential household items, according to a United Nations warning issued on Friday. He said available resources could only let humanitarian agencies prioritise assistance for about one in 10 people needing support.

Mr Odigie said African workers were directly affected by conflicts through rising prices, disrupted energy and fertiliser supplies, job losses and declining purchasing power.

He added that disruptions to energy and fertiliser shipments through the Strait of Hormuz threatened food security, employment and household incomes across the continent.

According to him, the International Labour Organisation (ILO) had warned of wider consequences for jobs, wages, working conditions and migrant workers.

Mr Odigie said workers did not declare the wars but were financing their consequences through higher living costs and the diversion of public resources from essential services.

(NAN)