ILI Factsheet: Grassroots Forum on the Future of Work

Abstract

On June 18, 2026, the Global Fairness Initiative (GFI) and our partners convened the Grassroots Forum on the Future of Work in Nairobi, Kenya, bringing together more than 180 participants from government, worker organizations, civil society, academia, and the private sector — 70% of them representing worker organizations. Rooted in GFI's belief that worker voice is key to equitable and sustainable economic growth, the forum provided a unique platform for informal workers to shape the dialogue on Africa's rapidly changing labour landscape. Africa stands at a critical juncture: informal employment accounts for more than 85% of all jobs across the continent , and in Kenya, nearly nine out of every ten new jobs created over the last five years have come from the informal sector. Yet the workers who sustain this economy remain disproportionately excluded from the conversations designed to address their needs. The forum explored three interconnected themes: pathways to formalization and social protection; the specific realities of women and youth in the informal economy; and new and emerging forms of work reshaping employment across the continent.