Regional Gender Assessment Report (English)

The Trade Facilitation West Africa (TFWA) Program is an initiative driven by multiple development partners to improve trade facilitation in West Africa . Its objective is to advance the free and efficient movement of goods in the region and internationally, by reducing the time and cost of trade borne by the private sector in West Africa, and by strengthening regional trading networks' ability to take advantage of these improvements. Six trade and transport corridors are targeted by the program across West Africa. The TFWA Program places great emphasis on the gender ramifications of trade facilitation and regional integration. Based on TFWA Survey results, the proportion of female traders in West Africa is significant, albeit not as high as might be expected - women typically exhibit lower education levels than men, cluster in certain product categories, and travel shorter distances. In parallel with the regional assessment, the program also conducted a Small-scale cross-border trade (SSCBT) survey with the aim of collecting sex-disaggregated quantitative data and qualitative information on SSCBT patterns and challenges across West Africa, including from a gender perspective. The findings of such exercise were also used to inform the present report. The present gender assessment for regional trade facilitation was prepared with the view to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by women, to identify the institutional needs and priorities of key program stakeholders, and to review current initiatives in the region on the trade and gender front. The introduction of this report provides a broad overview of the TFWA program, trade patterns in the West Africa subregion, and the related institutional framework, focusing on women's role in trade and the challenges they face. It also explains the methodology used in the gender assessment, its limitations, and the importance of having a gender perspective in the TFWA program.