On the occasion of the celebration of May 1st, 2025, the Director General and the entire staff of CAFRAD extend their best wishes to all workers in Africa and around the world, whether employers or employees, in the public or private sector, the formal or informal sector, or working in industry or agriculture, for an excellent Labour Day. They urge decision-makers, leaders, and employers to value human labour and to regard it as a means of individual and collective development, enrichment, and fulfilment.

As the late Senegalese judge Kéba Mbaye affirmed, only work and ethics can lead to proper development. We must elevate them to the status of a ‘first principle’ if we are to lift Africa out of its ongoing misery.

But for the reign of ethics to occur, two essential conditions must be met:

• The first condition is a strong and respected judiciary served by well-treated and independent magistrates;
• The second condition for the reign of ethics is quality, inclusive education that meets Africa’s development needs.

In a world dominated by technological innovations, artificial intelligence and humanoid robots must complement humans and enhance their technical capacities to produce added value in the service of humanity.

CAFRAD’s work focuses on ensuring that work is not alienating and stressful for humans, and that machines do not replace them but complement them in an intelligent, human symbiosis.

Indeed, the professions and services of the future must embody the hope for a more humane, equitable, and ethical world. Artificial intelligence, regardless of its technological advances, must integrate humanity, ethics, equity, sustainability, and inclusion. Without a conscious and ethical use of its potential, artificial intelligence will inevitably lead to deviation and dehumanisation.

In this regard, it is crucial for governments and private organizations to support CAFRAD’s efforts in training, research and development, and innovation, as a means of fostering not only technical competencies (hard skills) and talents (including digital talents), but also soft skills (emotional, social, behavioral, and interpersonal abilities that are cross-cutting and transferable).