Ongoing project

Making Trade Work for Women in West Africa (MTW)

Côte d’IvoireBeninBurkina FasoGhanaGuineaNigéria

Women’s Economic EmpowermentWomen's and girls' rights

Date

October 2024 - March 2030

Financial contribution

CAD$ 19,700,000

Global affairs Canada, with a CAD$ 989,523 contribution from CECI and TMA

Consortium partner

TradeMark Africa (TMA)

Implementing partners

AfCFTA, ECOWAS, WAEMU, Supervisory Ministries, West African Chambers of Commerce, West African Cross-Border Association WACTAF/AOCTAH, Regional and National Women's Associations/Networks, ENDA-CACID, Engineering and Business Development Consulting Firm (EBDCF), and participating partner states (Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria).

Impact for

80,000

persons over five years, with at least 70% being women traders

The Making Trade Work for Women in West Africa project, led by CECI and TradeMark Africa with funding from Global Affairs Canada, aims to support 80,000 traders—at least 70% of whom are women—by enhancing their access to markets, financial services, and sustainable trade practices while addressing gender-based barriers at border crossings.

It will be implemented along key corridors in Burkina Faso, Ghana, Ivory Coast, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria. It involves a series of activities designed to strengthen the capacity of women traders, enhance their access to markets, and promote sustainable business practices.
The strategy includes use of digital tools, financial literacy programmes, and advocacy for gender-responsive trade policies.
Additionally, it intends to institutionalise impactful innovations within regional economic plans and strategies, ultimately contributing to inclusive, environmentally sustainable growth.

Objectives

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Enhance border safety and gender sensitivity

Increase the capacity of border officials to protect and respect the rights of women and informal cross-border traders. This includes enhancing safety and security and reducing gender-based violence, thereby ensuring women traders can participate equally in trade.

Strengthen women’s associations

Empower women traders' associations and networks to uphold and advocate for their rights, ensuring their voices are heard in strategic decision-making spaces.

Implement Gender-Responsive Trade Policies

Support the review and implementation of gender-responsive trade policies, regulations, and procedures by regional and national actors. This also involves enhancing cross-border coordination to resolve challenges and develop frameworks ensuring gender inclusivity.

Develop inclusive regional value chains

Despite their organisation into associations and networks, women remain underrepresented in decision-making within trade policy ecosystems in West Africa. The project will support women traders to leverage regional market opportunities and improve livelihoods in an environmentally sustainable manner. This includes boosting their capacity and knowledge of market opportunities, improving access to innovative financial services, and enhancing their understanding of sustainable trade practices.

Promoting sustainable and inclusive trade practices to strengthen women's economic empowerment

Removing barriers for women traders in West Africa

Despite West Africa's trade potential, women traders face numerous challenges that hinder their economic progress. They often grapple with limited access to markets, financial services, and essential training opportunities. Challenges specific to women include earning lower incomes and running and smaller-scale businesses compared to their male counterparts, as well as facing harassment, gender-based violence (GBV), and systemic barriers at border crossings. A World Bank study along the Tema-Ouagadougou and Abidjan-Lagos corridors revealed that women make up 38% and 61% of traders respectively, many of whom have reported negative experiences stemming from border and market infrastructure. These issues are exacerbated by women’s additional burdens of productive and reproductive roles. This project will address these economic and social disparities by promoting sustainable trade practices that uplift marginalised groups, with a particular focus on women.