Top 10 African Countries by Average Workweek, 2025

In Summary

• Sudan, Lesotho, and Djibouti lead Africa with average workweeks exceeding 50 hours, driven by industry, logistics, and export sectors.
• Urban and secondary hubs link textiles, mining, ports, and agriculture to structured, high-output employment.
• Labour law reforms, vocational training, and infrastructure investments are helping convert long hours into productivity and national growth.

Deep Dive!!

Lagos, Nigeria, Thursday, November 13- The notion of a “standard” work-week varies widely across economies, combining formal jobs, informal work, seasonal labour, and public-sector overtime. 

In early 2025, many African countries report some of the continent’s longest workweeks, reflecting heavy reliance on labour, large informal sectors, and households juggling multiple low-pay jobs. 

Globally, however, countries with high productivity often achieve more output with shorter workweeks through mechanisation, regulated labour hours, and stronger labour protections. Comparing Africa with these nations highlights how long work-hours are shaped not just by effort, but by economic structure, labour market design, and policy choices. 

This article ranks African countries with the highest average workweeks, explores the factors behind extended hours, and examines reforms aimed at easing labour pressures.

10. Senegal

Senegal recorded an average workweek of 44.9 hours in early 2025, a figure that captures the blend of both formal and informal labour activities across the country. While the country’s labour code sets the official workweek at 40 hours, national data compiled through the Agence Nationale de la Statistique et de la Démographie (ANSD) and the International Labour Organization reveal that many workers extend their schedules through authorised overtime or multiple income-generating activities. These aggregated patterns, especially in sectors like transport, commerce, and seasonal farming, contribute to the national average reflected in 2025 figures.

Regionally, Senegal’s average workweek is slightly above the West African average of roughly 43 hours, placing it below high-hour countries such as Sudan, Lesotho, and Djibouti, but above nations like Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. This positioning reflects both the country’s moderate informal sector and its proactive efforts at regulating and formalising labour.

This structure of labour time in Senegal mirrors its economic composition. Dakar, the country’s commercial hub, sustains a wide network of market vendors, artisans, and service workers whose hours stretch beyond statutory limits during trade peaks. In rural areas, agriculture and fisheries operate on seasonal cycles that often require long daily commitments, especially during harvest and post-harvest seasons. Yet these extended schedules coexist with strong institutional frameworks: labour inspections, collective bargaining, and formal wage agreements under Senegal’s Labour Code continue to shape how working hours are implemented and remunerated.

In recent years, Senegal has introduced a range of reforms to improve labour conditions while sustaining productivity. A central step has been the implementation of the National Strategy for the Formalisation of the Informal Economy (SNIFEI), which enables micro-entrepreneurs, vendors, and small businesses to register, access credit, and integrate into structured economic systems. This process is already yielding measurable results, with thousands of informal workers transitioning into regulated activity that allows for predictable schedules and access to labour protections. Complementing this are social programmes such as the Programme National de Bourses de Sécurité Familiale (PNBSF) and the Adaptive Safety Net Project, which provide targeted income support and reduce the necessity for households to work excessively long hours to sustain livelihoods. On the business front, the government’s SME financing and credit guarantee schemes are helping small enterprises stabilize operations and employ workers on formal contracts with defined working hours.

These measures indicate that Senegal’s relatively high average workweek is not purely a function of labour strain, but also evidence of an active and industrious economy in transition. As formalisation expands and infrastructure investments in markets, childcare, and logistics reduce the “time poverty” faced by many urban and rural workers, the nature of working hours is shifting from quantity to quality. The 44.9-hour average thus marks a turning point in Senegal’s employment landscape, one where productive time, institutional support, and inclusive growth are increasingly aligned. The country’s policies demonstrate that regulating working time in Africa’s growing economies is less about limiting effort and more about ensuring that each hour worked contributes to greater economic stability and human development.

9. Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe’s workforce recorded an average of 45.0 hours per week in early 2025, reflecting a productive yet evolving labour structure. The labour market continues to be driven by mining, agriculture, construction, and a rapidly formalising informal sector. Mining and agro-industrial operations often require continuous production cycles, particularly in gold and lithium extraction, which have expanded under new investment frameworks. The service and trading sectors, especially in Harare and Bulawayo, maintain long working days tied to market and transport activities. Despite these demanding schedules, Zimbabwe’s labour environment is defined less by overwork and more by its structured transition towards formal, regulated employment.

At the policy level, Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1, 2021–2025) prioritises job creation through industrialisation, value-addition, and infrastructure investment, aiming to shift employment from informal survivalism to formal, wage-based systems. Under the National MSME Policy and the Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank initiative, thousands of small businesses have gained access to affordable credit, helping entrepreneurs move into stable production cycles with clearer working conditions. Labour inspections have also been strengthened, ensuring firms observe fair scheduling and wage regulations.

Institutional reforms have further supported this transition. The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) has expanded coverage to include informal and self-employed workers, providing safety nets that encourage formal registration. In manufacturing and agriculture, the government’s cluster industrialisation model, especially in the Midlands and Manicaland, promotes local value chains that balance labour intensity with technological adoption. Partnerships with development institutions support vocational and technical training, helping workers in small enterprises build skills that improve productivity per hour worked.

Altogether, Zimbabwe’s 45.0-hour workweek reflects an economy rebuilding through policy-driven stability. The focus has shifted from the mere length of work to the quality and security of labour itself, demonstrating how long working days can be converted into structured, inclusive economic value.

8. Cape Verde

Cape Verde recorded an average workweek of 45.3 hours in early 2025, reflecting a labour market shaped by service industries, tourism, fisheries, and emerging light manufacturing. The archipelago’s urban centres, particularly Praia and Mindelo, anchor the national economy and concentrate employment across administration, commerce, and hospitality sectors. Tourism has been a key driver, with seasonal peaks requiring longer operational hours for hotel staff, tour operators, and transport providers workers in tourism average around 48 hours per week, compared with 43 hours in fisheries and port activities that maintain continuous export readiness. Despite these extended hours, national policy has increasingly focused on structuring work into predictable, productive, and formal arrangements.

Policy initiatives have reinforced labour regulation and economic structuring across the islands. The government’s Labour Code reforms of 2020–2024 strengthened protections around working hours, overtime remuneration, and collective bargaining rights, while maintaining flexibility for tourism and fisheries, which are critical to Cape Verde’s export and service-led economy. Complementing this, the Strategic Plan for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (2021–2025) has expanded formal registration, training, and access to credit for small-scale traders and service providers. These measures ensure that even in sectors with variable schedules, labour is increasingly formalised, remunerated fairly, and linked to skill development.

Cape Verde has also prioritised urban infrastructure and social support systems to enhance labour productivity. Investments in energy reliability, urban transport networks, and digital services in Praia, Mindelo, and secondary towns reduce operational inefficiencies and allow businesses to structure working hours more effectively. Government-led vocational training programmes in hospitality, maritime operations, and renewable energy provide workers with skills that increase value per hour worked while aligning employment with economic diversification goals. These programmes, paired with the national social protection framework, help households convert extended working hours into higher income and greater stability.

Looking forward, Cape Verde’s labour reforms and infrastructure initiatives aim to balance high labour engagement with efficiency and quality. By formalising the informal sector, improving skills, and modernising urban and port infrastructure, the country is creating conditions for a more predictable, productive, and resilient workforce. The 45.3-hour workweek in early 2025 reflects not just the intensity of labour but also a structured effort to ensure that each hour contributes meaningfully to economic growth and social development, positioning Cape Verde as a model of managed work intensity in small island economies.

7. Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso recorded an average workweek of 45.3 hours in early 2025, reflecting a labour market heavily anchored in agriculture, small-scale manufacturing, trade, and a growing service sector. Urban centres such as Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso concentrate administrative, commercial, and industrial employment, serving as hubs for both domestic and regional economic activity. In contrast, rural areas are dominated by smallholder agriculture, where seasonal labourers often extend workdays during planting and harvest periods. Complementing this, urban-based enterprises in commerce and services operate structured schedules to manage peak market demands, creating a dynamic balance between extended workweeks in rural zones and organised labour in cities.

Policy and institutional frameworks in Burkina Faso have played a key role in regulating and improving labour outcomes. The government’s Labour Code (2020 update) provides clear guidance on working hours, overtime, and rights to collective bargaining, ensuring that longer hours are accompanied by protections and regulated pay. Parallel initiatives under the National Programme for Economic and Social Development (PNDES 2016–2025) support micro, small, and medium enterprises with access to credit, skills training, and infrastructure, enabling informal and semi-formal workers to transition into more structured, formal employment arrangements. Urban municipalities, particularly in Ouagadougou, have invested in market infrastructure, transport, and utilities to reduce operational inefficiencies and allow firms and traders to better organise working schedules.

In addition to regulation, Burkina Faso has focused on capacity building to increase productivity and improve the efficiency of work time. Vocational training programmes, supported by both national and international partners, target youth and women, providing skills in areas such as construction, agribusiness, and ICT. Social protection programmes like Filets Sociaux complement these efforts by supporting vulnerable households, reducing the need for excessively long informal work hours, and enabling workers to prioritise productive labour in formal or semi-formal contexts. These interventions link labour intensity with economic output, rather than overreliance on sheer hours worked.

Looking forward, Burkina Faso’s approach aims to leverage its relatively high workweek into tangible productivity gains and economic resilience. By combining regulatory oversight, formalisation of informal labour, infrastructure development, and skills training, the country is turning extended work hours into structured, high-value activity. The 45.3-hour average in early 2025 illustrates a labour force that is industrious, adaptive, and increasingly integrated into policy-driven economic frameworks, laying the groundwork for sustainable development across both rural and urban areas.

6. Egypt

Egypt’s average workweek in early 2025 stands at 45.5 hours, reflecting a labour market dominated by urban centres, industry, and services while still integrating substantial informal sector activity. Cairo, Alexandria, and Giza concentrate the majority of formal employment across manufacturing, finance, administration, and trade, where structured schedules and regulated overtime contribute predictably to the national average. Meanwhile, the informal economy including retail, artisanal services, small-scale logistics, tourism, construction, and transport adds extended hours as workers often combine multiple income-generating activities. Together, these formal and informal patterns establish Egypt’s position in the upper range of African workweek averages.

Policy frameworks have sought to optimise this labour intensity while improving regulation and productivity. The Egyptian Labour Law (No. 12 of 2003, with amendments through 2022) sets statutory weekly hours at 48 but enforces overtime compensation and labour protections, ensuring that longer working schedules translate into regulated, remunerated activity. At the same time, the government’s National Employment Strategy (2018–2030) and Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (SMEDA) programmes support the formalisation of micro and small businesses, offering access to credit, technical support, and digital business services. These initiatives provide avenues for informal and semi-formal workers to stabilise schedules and convert extended working hours into secure, productive engagements.

Egypt has also invested in structural reforms to increase efficiency across urban employment sectors. Industrial zones, including the Suez Canal Economic Zone and new urban development projects, integrate modern logistics, energy, and water infrastructure, allowing businesses to manage labour hours more effectively. Vocational and technical training programmes, coordinated by the Ministry of Manpower and international partners, target both youth and women, improving skills in construction, manufacturing, and ICT. Public–private partnerships in urban transport, energy, and ICT further streamline operations, reducing unnecessary labour strain and allowing a more productive allocation of work hours.

Looking ahead, Egypt’s labour reforms aim to leverage the high workweek into structured productivity gains. With ongoing expansion of formal employment opportunities, continuous skills development, and infrastructural modernization, the country is transforming extended work hours into regulated, high-value activity. The 45.5-hour average reflects a workforce that is industrious and increasingly supported by institutional and policy measures designed to ensure that each hour contributes to economic growth, social stability, and inclusive development.

5. Liberia

Liberia’s workforce records an average of 47.5 hours per week in early 2025, reflecting a labour market where formal and informal activities coexist and contribute to the country’s economic resilience. Monrovia, the capital, serves as the central hub for commerce, administration, and industry, while secondary towns such as Buchanan and Gbarnga support trade, agriculture processing, and small-scale manufacturing. Extended working hours are common in sectors such as construction, mining, and informal trading, as workers engage in multiple income streams to maximise productivity and household income.

The Liberian government has undertaken substantial measures to improve the organisation and quality of labour. The Labour Law of 2015 regulates working hours, overtime, and employee rights, ensuring that long hours in key sectors are formally recognised and remunerated. At the same time, the Liberia National Employment Policy (2018–2025) focuses on job creation, formalisation of informal enterprises, and vocational skills development. Initiatives such as the Liberia Microfinance and Enterprise Development Project provide access to credit, training, and business development services, enabling SMEs and informal workers to stabilize schedules and shift into structured employment. These reforms have demonstrably increased productivity, with national statistics showing that formalised enterprises report 10–15% higher output per worker compared with pre-reform levels, and participating SMEs have improved efficiency through better labour organisation and skills utilisation.

Institutional reforms have also prioritised productivity and urban integration. Investments in transport infrastructure, including road rehabilitation and port upgrades in Buchanan, streamline supply chains and reduce inefficiencies that previously extended workdays unnecessarily. Vocational and technical training programmes targeting youth and women equip workers with practical skills in construction, logistics, and agro-processing, linking hours worked directly to economic output. Digitalisation efforts, including e-registration for SMEs and labour reporting systems, further enhance administrative oversight and ensure that employment arrangements are predictable and formalised.

Looking ahead, Liberia is actively turning its relatively high workweek into a tool for economic growth and formalisation. By combining labour regulation, SME support, skills training, and infrastructure development, the country ensures that each hour worked contributes meaningfully to productivity and household income. The 47.5-hour average in early 2025 represents not just extended labour engagement but also a workforce increasingly supported by policy, institutional frameworks, and investment to make work both secure and productive.

4. São Tomé and Príncipe

São Tomé and Príncipe recorded an average workweek of 48.2 hours in early 2025, reflecting the labour patterns of a small island nation where urban and coastal centres dominate economic activity. The capital, São Tomé, concentrates administration, commerce, and port operations, while secondary towns such as Neves and Santo António on Príncipe Island support trade, fisheries, and emerging agro-processing industries. Extended work hours are common in agriculture, fisheries, and service sectors, where seasonal and export-driven demands shape labour intensity. These patterns illustrate the country’s concentrated but highly active workforce across both formal and semi-formal economic activities.

Policy frameworks and institutional initiatives have sought to formalise labour and link extended hours to productivity gains. The Labour Code (Revised 2019) regulates working hours, overtime compensation, and employee rights, particularly in export-oriented sectors such as cocoa and fisheries. The government’s National Employment and Productivity Strategy (2018–2025) complements these regulations by promoting skills development, SME support, and formalisation of informal work. Partnerships with international agencies have provided technical training in fisheries, agro-processing, and tourism, enabling workers to convert longer workweeks into structured, productive employment.

Urban infrastructure and administrative reforms also reinforce labour productivity. Investments in port modernisation, road rehabilitation, and renewable energy in urban centres reduce operational inefficiencies and allow businesses to plan work schedules more effectively. Vocational training programmes target both youth and women, providing technical skills aligned with the country’s economic diversification goals. Digitalisation initiatives in land registry, business registration, and public services further support formalised working arrangements, ensuring that extended work hours are productive and secure.

Looking ahead, São Tomé and Príncipe is leveraging its high workweek as an asset for economic growth and labour formalisation. By combining regulatory oversight, skills development, SME support, and infrastructure improvement, the nation ensures that each hour worked contributes directly to GDP and broader economic performance. The 48.2-hour average in early 2025 highlights a concentrated, industrious workforce operating within increasingly structured and supportive institutional frameworks, positioning the country for sustainable economic growth and development across both islands.

3. Republic of the Congo

Economic activity in the Republic of the Congo is strongly concentrated around trade, petroleum, and industrial services, contributing to an average workweek of 48.7 hours in early 2025. Like several Central African nations, Congo exhibits long workweeks driven by urban-industrial hubs and expanding commercial activity, placing it among the countries with the highest labour intensity on the continent. Pointe-Noire, the nation’s commercial and port hub, drives much of the maritime trade and logistics operations, while Brazzaville functions as the political and administrative nucleus, coordinating national and regional programmes. Industrial operations, particularly in oil and construction, are complemented by expanding commercial activity in secondary towns such as Dolisie and Nkayi, which absorb both urban migration and labour from surrounding rural areas. This network of activity results in a labour force that is engaged across both formal and semi-formal sectors.

The government has invested in integrating policy and infrastructure to make long working hours productive. The Vision Congo 2025 plan aligns urban-industrial development with workforce capacity, focusing on vocational training in logistics, petroleum services, and small-scale manufacturing. Public-private partnerships have upgraded key ports, road corridors, and energy systems, enabling businesses to operate more efficiently and workers to perform tasks under better-organized conditions. Micro and small enterprises benefit from technical assistance and credit access, ensuring that labour intensity is channeled into structured and income-generating activities.

Beyond formal regulations, Congo has been enhancing workforce skills and urban functionality simultaneously. Training programmes, often supported by international development partners, target both technical competencies and operational efficiency, ensuring workers can contribute effectively within the high-demand urban-industrial environment. Digitalisation of land and business registries is creating a more formalised economy, reducing bureaucratic delays that previously extended work hours unnecessarily, and strengthening links between hours worked and measurable economic output.

The high average workweek illustrates a country aligning its workforce with infrastructure, investment, and economic strategy. By coordinating urban centres, industrial hubs, and vocational development, the Republic of the Congo is gradually turning extended work hours into sustainable productivity. The 48.7-hour average in early 2025 signals a labour market that is active, increasingly formalised, and closely integrated with national development objectives.

2. Lesotho

Lesotho records an average workweek of 50.2 hours, one of the highest in Africa, reflecting a workforce engaged in both formal and informal sectors across industrial, agricultural, and service activities. The textile and apparel industry remains a major driver of urban employment, particularly in Maseru and Maputsoe, where factories producing for regional and international markets rely on structured shifts and seasonal adjustments. Mining and construction, concentrated in the highland regions, also contribute significantly to extended working hours, with infrastructure projects and water management initiatives generating sustained demand for skilled and semi-skilled labour. Meanwhile, informal trade and micro-enterprises supplement household income, creating layered work patterns that integrate multiple income streams. Women, who make up a significant share of the textile and service workforce, often balance formal employment with domestic and caregiving responsibilities, highlighting the gendered dimensions of labour intensity.

Labour and industrial policies have played a central role in formalising and regulating these extended hours. The Labour Code of 1992 (amended 2022) sets clear standards for working hours, overtime, and employee rights, ensuring that intensive labour translates into regulated and compensated activity. Complementing this, the National Employment Policy (2018–2025) focuses on formalisation, vocational training, and skills development for both urban and peri-urban workers, with targeted programmes to support women and youth participation in industrial and service sectors. Programmes such as the Lesotho Skills Development Fund provide technical training in garment production, construction, logistics, and agro-processing, linking long hours with improved productivity, quality standards, and income stability while promoting labour market inclusivity.

Lesotho has also invested in infrastructure and urban planning to support workforce efficiency. Road networks connecting Maseru, Maputsoe, and industrial hubs streamline logistics for both goods and labour, while electrification projects and access to water in industrial zones improve operational continuity. Digital systems for business registration, vocational certification, and workforce management have begun to formalise previously informal practices, ensuring that hours worked are productive and traceable. Partnerships with international development organisations, including the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the African Development Bank, support enterprise development, skills transfer, and infrastructure improvements, amplifying the impact of extended workweeks on national productivity.

At the intersection of policy, investment, and human capital, Lesotho is transforming its high workweek into a tool for sustained economic engagement. Beyond long hours, the focus on formalisation, industrial efficiency, vocational upskilling, and gender-inclusive programmes ensures that labour contributes directly to economic growth, social stability, and export competitiveness. The 50.2-hour average in early 2025 reflects not just industriousness but a coordinated approach to aligning labour effort with structural reforms and development priorities, making Lesotho a model for managed and inclusive workforce intensity in Southern Africa.

1. Sudan

Sudan leads Africa in average workweek with 50.8 hours, reflecting a workforce actively engaged across agriculture, trade, energy, and service sectors. Khartoum, the capital, serves as the administrative and economic hub, hosting finance, government, and logistics operations, while secondary cities such as Omdurman, Port Sudan, and Nyala anchor regional trade, industrial processing, and agro-based production. Beyond urban centres, extensive agricultural and pastoral activity sustains rural livelihoods, often linked to urban markets, creating a continuous flow of labour that integrates traditional and formal economic structures. Seasonal peaks in agriculture and trading cycles contribute to longer hours, while industrial expansion and infrastructure projects in transport, energy, and urban development provide structured employment opportunities.

Labour regulation and policy reforms have been central to managing this extended workweek effectively. Sudan’s Labour Code (1997, amended 2020) establishes protections for overtime, workplace safety, and fair compensation, while initiatives under the National Employment and Skills Development Programme aim to formalise work in manufacturing, logistics, and services. Vocational training programmes target youth and women, equipping workers with skills in construction, energy, agro-processing, and port management. These programmes are linked to key urban-industrial projects, ensuring that hours worked directly translate into measurable productivity and career progression.

Infrastructure investments have further enhanced workforce efficiency. Urban transport projects in Khartoum and Port Sudan, including road expansions, bridge rehabilitation, and improved logistics corridors, reduce operational delays and facilitate smoother labour deployment. Energy projects, particularly solar and hydropower initiatives, support both industrial facilities and urban households, stabilising working conditions across multiple sectors. The government has also invested in digitalisation for business registration, land records, and vocational certification, enabling formal tracking of labour and supporting the transition from informal or semi-formal employment to structured, accountable work. International partnerships with the African Development Bank, UNDP, and ILO strengthen training, technical assistance, and project financing, multiplying the impact of extended workweeks on economic output.

Sudan’s high average workweek reflects a workforce aligned with national development priorities, infrastructure expansion, and policy frameworks designed to turn labour intensity into productivity. The 50.8-hour figure in early 2025 is not merely an expression of long working hours but of coordinated effort across sectors, skill development, and urban-industrial integration. By combining regulation, vocational training, and strategic infrastructure, Sudan demonstrates how extended workweeks can become an instrument of structured economic growth, workforce formalisation, and regional competitiveness, illustrating a deliberate approach to transforming human capital into sustained national advantage.

Across all 10 countries analysed, a common pattern visible is how extended workweeks are rarely just a reflection of labour intensity but are intertwined with economic structure, formalisation efforts, skill development, and infrastructure investment. Countries with the highest averages, such as Sudan and Lesotho, alongside those with moderately long hours like Senegal and Zimbabwe, demonstrate that long working hours can translate into productivity and growth when supported by robust policy frameworks, vocational training, and social protection. These patterns reveal that effectively managed workweeks strengthen economic output, formal employment, and inclusive development, providing valuable lessons for labour policy across the continent.

Overall, Africa’s labour patterns show a workforce balancing formal and informal employment, urban-industrial hubs, and seasonal agricultural demands. While workweek lengths differ across regions, common trends emerge in policy reforms, and infrastructure investments that are increasingly shaping hours worked into productive, regulated, and inclusive economic activity, highlighting the continent’s potential to leverage labour intensity for growth.

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