Ensuring decent work for Africa’s rural economy workers begins with unions that can turn solid evidence into meaningful action. Drawing on 11 country studies from Africa, spearheaded by ILO-ACTRAV, that reveal deepening rural decent work deficits—informality, hazardous work, limited social protection, weak social dialogue, and the struggle for living wages—this Academy transforms research into a practical, tool-driven training experience for trade unions. Focusing on rural economy workers is urgently needed, especially at a time when AI-driven changes are quietly reshaping agricultural value chains, logistics, and rural services. Unions must be ready to act, adapt, anticipate, and innovate to protect workers amid rapid transitions. This Academy equips participants with the tools to strengthen social dialogue and collective bargaining, organise hard-to-reach rural workers, and apply practical toolkits. Through four weeks of online learning and a one-week face-to-face training, workers’ representatives will be able to analyse evidence, co-design evidence-based solutions, review negotiation and organising models, and build actionable strategies tailored to Africa’s rural workers' realities.