The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission, through the Regional Trade Facilitation Committee (RTFC), held the second meeting of the Sub-Committee on Women in Trade virtually on October 21st and 22nd, 2025.
The meeting aimed to review the implementation of the Subcommittee’s three-year work plan and strengthen women’s participation in cross-border trade in the West African region.
Opening Remarks
In her opening remarks, Dr Isata Mahoi, Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs of Sierra Leone, highlighted the essential role of women, whether formal or informal traders, in West African economies. She pointed out that they continue to face systemic barriers such as limited access to finance, markets, and decision-making.
Sierra Leone’s Leadership
The Minister presented national reforms implemented under the National Policy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (2020) and the National Medium-Term Development Plan (2024-2030).
These policies give particular priority to women’s economic participation, their integration into value chains, and the promotion of gender-responsive investments.
Dr Mahoi urged ECOWAS Member States and partners to translate dialogue into concrete actions so that women traders are fully integrated into the regional trade ecosystem.
ECOWAS’s Commitment
Speaking on behalf of the Honourable Dr Kalilou Sylla, ECOWAS Commissioner for Economic Affairs and Agriculture, and Professor Fatou Sow Sarr, Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Mr Kolawole Sofola, Director of Trade, reaffirmed ECOWAS’ commitment to promoting inclusive and gender-responsive trade facilitation across the region.
He recalled that the Regional Trade Facilitation Committee (RTFC) is an essential platform for ensuring that the free movement of goods benefits men and women equally.
Work Plan and Achievements
Mr Sofola welcomed the achievements of the Subcommittee’s first meeting, in particular the development of a three-year work plan aimed at addressing major challenges faced by women traders.
Over two days, experts from member states representing ministries of trade and women’s affairs reviewed activities carried out under the three-year work plan, including the third edition of the awareness campaign for small cross-border traders along the Abidjan-Lagos corridor, the ECOWAS-ECOBANK empowerment programme, and digital skills training for rural women.
Recommendations
The meeting also provided an opportunity to review activities of other regional partners in order to avoid duplication, capitalise on good practices, and strengthen synergies.
At the end of the meeting, several recommendations were made, including strengthening advocacy among policymakers for better allocation of resources to programmes dedicated to the economic empowerment of women traders, particularly those in rural areas.
Participants also recommended promoting women’s participation in border governance to combat harassment and gender-based violence at borders.
In Conclusion
Finally, Member States called on the ECOWAS Commission to extend existing programmes to all countries in the region to ensure greater participation by women in economic development and regional integration.
Sources: The Economic Community of West African States.
Prepared by Ivan Alexander Golden, Founder of THX News™, an independent news organization delivering timely insights from global official sources. Combines AI-analyzed research with human-edited accuracy and context.