In June 2024, The African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the ACHPR) adopted the Resolution on the Development of Guidelines on the Protection of the Rights of Workers in the Informal Economy Sector in Africa – ACHPR.Res.584 (LXXVIII) 2024. The resolution acknowledges the significant role of informal work in Africa’s economies, the precarious conditions faced by informal workers, and the need for a rights-based framework to ensure their protection. Resolution 584 records that the African Commission has decided –

1. to task the Working Group on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in Africa, to develop Guidelines on the Protection of the Rights of Workers in the Informal Economy; together with Model Law(s) to regulate different occupations in the informal economy; 
2. to work in collaboration with the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa and other stakeholders in the drafting of the Guidelines and Model Law(s);
3. that the Guidelines on the Protection of the Rights of Workers in the Informal Economy and Model Law(s) be presented to the Commission for its consideration and adoption within two (2) years from the date hereof.

CENTROW’s Regulation of Work in Africa project responds to this development. The project activities include the systematic mapping of existing regional standards and domestic laws governing work, in particular work in the informal economy in African countries, with a focus on identifying gaps, best practices, and opportunities for legal reform. The research seeks to contribute to ongoing regional and global conversations on just transitions, decent work, and labour justice and to provide evidence-based recommendations for law and policy development aligned with international labour standards and human rights commitments.