The Economic Community of West African States, ECOWAS Commission will organise a Regional Fortnight on Women’s Leadership and Economic Empowerment through Small-Scale Cross-Border Trade in Lomé, Togo, from 18 to 28 June 2026.
The initiative, through its Gender Development Centre, which is part of the ECOWAS Gender and Trade Action Plan and the closing activities of the organisation’s 50th anniversary celebrations, aims to recognise and strengthen the role of women traders in regional integration, food security, and economic development across West Africa.
The event will bring together representatives of Member States, women traders’ associations, financial institutions, border authorities, private-sector actors, and development partners to discuss challenges and opportunities in cross-border trade.
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The programme will feature an awareness caravan along key trade corridors, a regional trade fair showcasing products from women-led agricultural, fisheries and artisanal value chains, and a week of capacity-building on ECOWAS trade instruments, the African Continental Free Trade Area and women’s entrepreneurship.
