REGIONAL FORTNIGHT ON WOMEN’S SMALL-SCALE CROSS-BORDER TRADE CONCLUDES IN LOMÉ: WOMEN TRADERS SPEAK WITH ONE VOICE FOR A MORE INCLUSIVE REGIONAL  INTEGRATION

The Regional Fortnight on Women’s Small-Scale Cross-Border Trade in the ECOWAS region, held in Lomé from 18 to 28 June 2026, concluded with strong participation from women traders, ECOWAS Member States, and technical and financial partners.

Held under the theme “Women Cross-Border Traders: Driving Regional Integration for the Past 50 Years,” the event transformed the lessons learned from various regional awareness-raising campaigns into a concrete action agenda aimed at strengthening women’s economic leadership and facilitating cross-border trade across the ECOWAS region. The Fortnight sought to enhance the capacities of stakeholders, promote dialogue between institutions and women traders, and develop interventions tailored to realities on the ground.

A major highlight of the Fortnight was the adoption of a Joint Declaration by women cross-border traders from ECOWAS Member States. In this declaration, they commended the sustained efforts of ECOWAS—particularly through the ECOWAS Centre for Gender Development (ECGD)—to strengthen women’s leadership and promote their economic empowerment.

In their declaration, the women acknowledged that ECOWAS initiatives have already enhanced their entrepreneurial capacities, strengthened dialogue with public authorities, and expanded their economic opportunities. They also expressed their support for the networking of women traders through the “50 Million African Women Speak” platform, which is expected to serve as a space for solidarity, experience sharing, women’s leadership development, access to information and markets, as well as collective advocacy for a more inclusive and secure trading environment.

The women cross-border traders also appealed to the Heads of State and Government of the region, technical and financial partners, and regional institutions to further strengthen their support for initiatives benefiting women traders. In addition, they respectfully requested His Excellency Mr. Faure Essozimna Gnassingbé, President of the Council of the Togolese Republic, to accept the role of Regional Champion for Advocacy on Behalf of Women Cross-Border Traders and to amplify their voice within regional and continental decision-making bodies.

At the conclusion of the Fortnight, the women cross-border traders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening dialogue among ECOWAS, Member States through women traders’ organizations, the private sector, and technical and financial partners to ensure the effective implementation of the recommendations adopted during the event.

In closing the Regional Fortnight, ECOWAS reaffirmed its commitment to positioning women cross-border traders as indispensable actors in regional integration, wealth creation, and shared prosperity across West Africa.