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Many women in West and Central Africa still operate in an unfavorable environment, with limited access to information, financing, training and business opportunities. On the occasion of the 11th African Regional Forum for Sustainable Development (FRADD), a side-event was organized under the theme: "Women's intra-regional trade as an engine for job creation and economic growth - Untapped potential and successful solutions to advance the 2030 Agenda and Agenda 2063".

This side-event, co-organized by the FAO in collaboration with the International Trade Centre (ITC), CORAF, ECOWAS, GEPA, CAWEE and Borderless Alliance, highlighted the persistent obstacles faced by women in regional trade, while highlighting concrete initiatives to overcome them.

Empowering women 

CORAF (Conseil Ouest et Centre Africain pour la Recherche et le Développement Agricoles - West and Central African Council for Agricultural Research and Development) was represented by Dr Mariame Maïga, regional gender advisor, whose speech made a strong impact on the debates. 

She presented CORAF's efforts through the World Bank-funded Food Systems Resilience Program in West Africa (FSRP), which aims to strengthen the resilience of food systems by fully integrating women and young people. The program is based on a holistic approach that includes:

• training women to sell certified seeds;
• entrepreneurial capacity building ;
• active participation in regional agricultural trade fairs and shows;
• mentoring and support programs for women in developing agricultural businesses;
• facilitating access to financing via matching grants.

A shared observation: we must invest in women

In addition, Dr. Mariame Maiga stressed the importance of sensitizing inter-professional trade associations to adopt inclusive practices in their activities and governance systems. She also stressed the importance of targeted financial facilities for women-led MSMEs to improve access to affordable financing.

This message resonated with all the panellists. A strong recommendation emerged: invest in skills, formalization and equitable access to resources to enable women traders to play their full role in the regional economy.

Strengthening women's trade in West and Central Africa

Many women-led MSMEs across the continent operate in a landscape where access to information, finance, skills training and market opportunities is limited. Panelists agreed that addressing these gaps is a fundamental step towards inclusive trade.

The side-event also highlighted the need for regional synergies between institutions, UN agencies, governments and civil society, to build more inclusive trade. The panelists converged on several recommendations:

• strengthening women's economic empowerment through data-driven policies ;
• promote local initiatives led by women ;
• facilitate access to productive resources in regional and continental value chains,

The event also welcomed the synergy between regional institutions such as ECOWAS, CORAF, UN agencies and civil society organizations, in favor of gender-sensitive trade policies. CORAF's experience is a perfect illustration of how inclusive, gender-sensitive approaches can help remove structural barriers to women's empowerment in regional trade.