ABUJA, Nigeria, June 28, 2026/APO Group/ —
The Acting Secretary-General of the ECOWAS Commission, Mr. Mua’zu Umaru, officially closed the Regional Capacity-Building Workshop for Women Cross-Border Traders and Cross-Border Trade Stakeholders from the twelve ECOWAS Member States in Lomé on Friday, 26 June 2026.
One of the key achievements of this regional meeting—held as a flagship activity of the ECOWAS Regional Fortnight on Women in Small-Scale Cross-Border Trade, taking place in Lomé from 18 to 28 June 2026—was the validation of the ECOWAS Gender and Trade Strategy 2026–2030 and its accompanying Action Plan. These strategic documents were developed on the basis of empirical data collected across five ECOWAS Member States.
“ECOWAS is committed to translating the new Gender and Trade Strategy into concrete actions at border posts, ensuring that it does not remain merely a policy document without tangible impact,” Mr. Mua’zu Umaru stated on behalf of the Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Professor Fatou Sow Sarr, during the closing ceremony.
Earlier, several speakers addressed the participants, including Professor Félix Nzué Fofana, Acting Director of Research and Statistics, representing Dr. Kalilou Sylla, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, as well as H.E. Deweh Emily Gray, ECOWAS Resident Representative in Togo. They commended the commitment of all stakeholders and welcomed the significant outcomes achieved during the workshop.
The capacity-building workshop once again highlighted the major challenges faced by women and young people engaged in small-scale cross-border trade across the ECOWAS region, while validating a shared vision for addressing these issues.
Discussions throughout the workshop confirmed that, despite their vital contribution to regional trade, women cross-border traders continue to face persistent obstacles, including informal payments, multiple checkpoints, limited access to finance, inadequate information on regional trade instruments, and insufficient infrastructure and protection mechanisms tailored to their needs. The workshop also emphasized that women’s traders’ associations remain the most effective channels for information dissemination, beneficiary support, and the implementation of field activities.
Participants stressed the need to move beyond political commitments by establishing a robust institutional framework supported by sustainable financing mechanisms, monitoring and evaluation systems, and accountability measures to ensure the effective implementation of the proposed actions. Particular attention should be given to reforming border governance, improving the safety and security of women traders, and strengthening their access to financial services and the opportunities offered by the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).
In conclusion, the Lomé meeting marked an important milestone in promoting a more inclusive, safer, and more competitive cross-border trading environment in West Africa. Participants reaffirmed their commitment to supporting the implementation of the new strategy through strengthened collaboration among ECOWAS institutions, Member States, technical and financial partners, and organizations representing women traders.
The next steps will focus on the formal adoption of the Strategy, the establishment of its governance structures, the mobilization of resources, and the launch of the first priority actions to translate the Forum’s recommendations into concrete results for the benefit of women and young traders across the region.
This flagship event of the Regional Fortnight benefited from the support of numerous partners, including the Government of Togo and the ECOWAS Permanent Representation in Togo, the Government of Germany through GIZ, the Support to the ECOWAS Commission in the Organisational Development (OD) Programme, the ECOWAS Agricultural Trade (EAT) Programme, and the Support to the ECOWAS Commission in the Implementation of the AfCFTA Project.
Additional contributions were provided by the Centre for Study and International Cooperation (CECI) through the Making Trade Work for Women in West Africa project, the International Trade Centre (ITC), WiLDAF, AOCTAH, ESBC, and the 50 Million African Women Speak Platform (50MAWSP).
