Union of Informal Workers Associations
Union of Informal Workers Associations (UNIWA) is Ghana's first national trade union for workers in the informal economy. It was established in 2013 under the name CIWA (Council of Informal Workers Associations) which was later changed to UNIWA in recognition of its status as a trade union. It is affiliated with the Trade Union Congress of Ghana. The informal sector is a large part of the Ghanaian economy. It contributes around 40.6% to the GDP of Ghana and around 90% of the workforce is employed in the informal sector. The nature of the informal  economy entails that workers in the sector are often vulnerable to exploitation. UNIWA was therefore set up as a way of organizing informal workers to protect their rights. Aims. The aim of UNIWA is to organise informal workers into trade unions in order to promote their common interest and strengthen their bargaining power vis-à-vis the government and employers. More specifically, the aims of UNIWA include: Members. The organisation consists of a number of affiliated organisations which are as follows: Founding members: New Associations yet to be admitted into UNIWA: