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.

The Making Trade Work for Women (MTW) 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.

The project 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, MTW intends to institutionalise impactful innovations within regional economic plans and strategies, ultimately contributing to inclusive, environmentally sustainable growth.