Inclusive Trade Participation – Empowering Women & Youth in Agroecological Cross-Border Trade

• Women and youth are the backbone of agroecological trade in East Africa.
  • Women make up 60–80% of cross-border small-scale traders (UNECA, 2022).
  • Youth-led enterprises dominate in aggregation, logistics, and digital platforms.
• Yet, systemic barriers keep these groups in the informal, low-profit end of the market:
  • Limited access to finance, land, and information.
  • Harassment and exploitation at borders.
  • Underrepresentation in trade policy decisions.
• The EAC, AfCFTA, and AU Agenda 2063 now explicitly call for gender- and youth-responsive trade — including the new AfCFTA Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade (2023).

Empowering women & youth traders leads to higher household income, better food security, and more resilient local markets.

Barrier	Impact	Illustration
Lack of recognition & formalisation	Traders stay informal; no access to STR/e-CoO	Women bean sellers at Rusumo are not on the trader lists
Harassment & gender-based violence at borders	Lost income, fear of formal channels	Reported in the AFSA 2024 study at the Busia border
Poor access to finance	Cannot scale or meet buyer demand	Youth agroecology groups are stuck with small loads
Low policy voice	Regulations ignore their needs	Few women/youth in NTFCs & AfCFTA consultations
Digital & language gaps	Excluded from e-certification & trade portals	Limited mobile literacy hinders ATKH uptake

A. Mapping Inclusion Gaps

1. Map where women & youth operate along the value chain: Production → aggregation → transport → retail/export.
2. Identify barriers: land access, finance, border harassment, and information gaps.
3. Collect simple data: numbers of women/youth in cooperatives, share of sales.

📌 Tool: Use FAO’s Gender and Value Chain Analysis Toolkit

B. Joining or Forming Cooperatives & Trader Groups

Benefits:

• Collective bargaining & better prices.
• Shared transport & storage costs.
• Easier access to credit & training.
• Stronger advocacy voice.

How to Start/Join:

1. Identify existing women/youth trader groups (check the local Ministry of Trade or cooperatives registry).
2. Formalise the group with a constitution & bank account.
3. Join umbrella bodies like the Cross-Border Traders Association (e.g., ESABOTA at EAC borders).

🔗 Resources: ILO Cooperative Development Toolkit

C. Engaging in Policy Forums & Trade Facilitation Bodies

1. National Trade Facilitation Committees (NTFCs)
   • Forums mandated under the WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement.
   • Open to the private sector and CSOs.
   • Advocate for simplified documents and harassment-free borders.
2. Border User Committees (BUCs)
   • Local-level problem-solving platforms at OSBPs.
3. Regional Platforms
   • EAC Gender & Trade Network
   • AFSA & CSO Agroecology Networks
4. AfCFTA Consultations
   • Engage through the AfCFTA Women & Youth in Trade Network (see below).

📌 Tip: Cooperatives and CSOs can request observer or associate membership in NTFCs.

D. Leveraging the AfCFTA Protocol on Women & Youth in Trade

Adopted: February 2023 by AU Heads of State.

Core Provisions:

• Simplified trade documentation & cross-border procedures for women & youth.
• Improved access to finance & trade information.
• Mechanisms for reporting discrimination & harassment.
• Dedicated trade capacity-building for women/youth.

Action for Traders:

• Join the AfCFTA Women & Youth in Trade Network.
• Advocate for country-level implementation (via NTFC or Ministry of Trade).
• Push for fast-tracking digital inclusion (mobile-friendly platforms, translation).

E. Building Digital Readiness

• Use EAC-ATKH for price & trade data (English/Kiswahili, mobile-friendly).
• Request digital literacy sessions in cooperatives.
• Promote women/youth-friendly apps — WhatsApp price groups, SMS trade alerts.
• Register for e-certification platforms (e-Phyto, e-CoO).

F. Tackling Border Harassment & Safety

• Know your rights: STR & NTB laws (EAC NTBs Act 2017).
• Use NTB portals: tradebarriers.org (anonymous reporting possible).
• Link with women trader support desks (in Busia, Namanga, Mpondwe).
• Partner with CSOs for legal aid and advocacy.

Step	Activity	Tools & Links
1	Map inclusion gaps	FAO Gender VC Toolkit https://www.fao.org/gender/resources/toolkit/en/
2	Form/join a trader cooperative	ILO Cooperative Tools https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/cooperatives/lang–en/index.htm
3	Get training on trade protocols	EAC-ATKH (launch pending) https://afsafrica.org
4	Engage in NTFCs/BUCs	Ministry of Trade websites, NTB Portal https://www.tradebarriers.org
5	Join AfCFTA Women & Youth Network	https://au.int/en/ti/cfta/about
6	Build digital skills	e-Phyto https://www.ephytoexchange.org
7	Advocate for fair policies	Partner with AFSA https://afsafrica.org

Busia Women Banana Traders Association (Kenya–Uganda)

• Organised into a formal cooperative and registered with the NTFC.
• Reported harassment via www.tradebarriers.org.
• Gained recognition from customs & the Ministry of Trade.
• Partnered with AFSA to train on AfCFTA Women & Youth Protocol.
• Outcomes: Reduced harassment, faster clearance (average down from 2 days to 6 hours), improved prices by 20–30% due to collective bargaining.

• AfCFTA Women & Youth in Trade Protocol (2023): https://au.int/en/ti/cfta/about
• EAC Gender & Trade Initiatives: https://www.eac.int/gender
• EAC NTB Reporting Portal: https://www.tradebarriers.org
• EAC Simplified Trade Regime (STR): https://www.eac.int/customs/simplified-trade-regime
• FAO Gender in Value Chains Toolkit: https://www.fao.org/gender/resources/toolkit/en/
• ILO Cooperative Development Tools: https://www.ilo.org/global/topics/cooperatives/lang–en/index.htm
• AFSA Resources & Networks: https://afsafrica.org
• TradeMark Africa Gender & Trade Work: https://www.trademarkafrica.com

WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement (NTFCs): https://www.tfafacility.org