ECOWAS Empowers Women Traders Along Abidjan-Lagos Corridor

The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has taken a significant step to boost the capacity of West African women small-scale traders along the Abidjan –Lagos Corridor in order to add value to their business.

According to a statement issued on Friday, July 18,  by the Communication Division of the ECOWAS Commission in Abuja, this  development was the focus of  the Third Edition of the Information and Awareness Campaign for small-scale cross-border women traders, held  in Lagos the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria on the 11th of July 2025.

This initiative aims to strengthen the capacities of women traders operating along the Abidjan–Lagos corridor.

In her speech, the ECOWAS Commissioner for Human Development and Social Affairs, Prof. Fatou Sow Sarr recalled that the focus on small-scale women traders followed the adoption, in 2015, by the ECOWAS Conference of Heads of State, of the Gender and Trade Action Plan.

She said “this plan is, first of all, in line with the spirit of the Revised ECOWAS Treaty, which advocates the creation of a market and a free trade area within the Community. Secondly, it is a response to the various issues and challenges related to the contribution of women, particularly those engaged in informal trade between Member States along the various corridors.”

She also urged everyone, at the local, national, and regional levels, to work to ensure that the needs of these women are taken into account in the responses and solutions aimed at facilitating and strengthening trade between the various States.

On her part, the Commissioner for Trade, Cooperatives and Investment, Mrs. Folashade Kaosarat Bada Ambrose, said  “the initiative supported by the joint commitment of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and regional governments, including Nigeria, is a direct response to a pressing need: to equip and empower our women, who constitute the majority of traders along the corridor.”

The Director General of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dr. Chinyere Almona,   said “this awareness campaign must therefore serve as a bridge between policy and practice.

It must translate regional agreements into daily understanding. More importantly, it must create ecosystems in which women traders are trained, supported and organized to operate confidently in a regulated, transparent and fair environment.”

The campaign also provided these women with essential information for the development of future appropriate projects and programmes that meet the requirements of cross-border trade in West Africa in the context of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA).