Nigeria launches initiative to support women in cross border trade

The Nigerian government and development partners launched the Making Trade Work for Women initiative to remove barriers for women engaged in cross border trade.

The project covers Nigeria and five neighboring countries including Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Togo. It aims to help women overcome obstacles such as limited access to finance, complex trade procedures, harassment, and poor border infrastructure.

The Centre for International Studies and Cooperation and TradeMark Africa will implement the project with funding from Global Affairs Canada. Dayo Okewole of the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment stated that women make up more than 70 per cent of informal cross border traders in Nigeria. The initiative plans to improve digital literacy, integrate e-commerce into women led businesses, and improve physical facilities at borders.

One proposed improvement includes a mini market where traders can exchange goods without repeatedly crossing the border. Kwamina Ekremet of TradeMark Africa noted that West Africa’s intra regional food trade reaches about $10 billion annually but often goes unrecorded. The program runs from 2024 to 2028 and intends to directly benefit 80,000 people, the majority of whom will be women traders.

It seeks to increase the incomes of participating women by 40 per cent and raise the number of women using sustainable trade practices by 50 per cent. Sand Mba of the Africa International Trade and Commerce Research said the project will help women access existing regional trade agreements like the African Continental Free Trade Area.

Jelilat Ismaila-Ayinde of the Bank of Industry also noted that the bank offers a product providing up to ₦50 million in financing for women owned businesses in sectors like manufacturing and healthcare. Omotola Durotola of the Lagos State Association of Pineapple Sellers added that traders currently struggle with high costs and a lack of capital to buy goods outright.