The Cross-Border Women Traders Association (CBWTA) has called on government and regional bodies to urgently enforce free movement protocols to unlock the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)’s promise of empowering grassroots commerce.
For decades, African leaders have pledged to remove trade barriers and unite the continent. Yet, according to CBWTA, the reality on the ground is starkly different for thousands of women whose livelihoods depend on moving goods across borders.
Mr. Oscar Akaba-Norvixoxo, National Coordinator of CBWTA, told the Ghana News Agency that while the African Union’s Free Movement Protocol and ECOWAS’ Protocol on Free Movement of Persons exist on paper, their fragmented and slow implementation continues to choke cross-border trade.
“Every delay at the border, every unnecessary inspection, and every demand for unofficial payment cuts into profits, wastes time, and undermines the dignity of hardworking traders,” he said.
Women account for more than 60 percent of informal cross-border traders in West Africa.
They transport fresh produce, textiles, and daily essentials often walking long distances in extreme heat only to face long queues, excessive red tape, and harassment.
For them, free movement is not an abstract concept, but the difference between profit and loss, safety and risk, or progress and stagnation.
Mr. Akaba-Norvixoxo said fully implementing free movement would reduce delays, lower transaction costs, protect perishable goods, open wider markets, and create safer trading conditions by minimising exposure to corruption and abuse.
CBWTA is urging the African Union, ECOWAS, and national governments to fast-track measures that make free movement practical.
He stressed that including grassroots women traders in planning and monitoring would ensure that policies address real-life challenges.
A key initiative the Association is championing is the Women Traders Border ID Card, designed to formally recognise registered traders, streamline customs processes, and curb harassment.
The ID card will also connect traders to digital tools including e-registration, e-duty compliance, online market access, and e-finance services to professionalise and scale up women-led businesses.
Beyond advocacy, CBWTA says it is ready to train members on their rights under free movement protocols, provide policymakers with data on trade barriers, partner on gender-sensitive border reforms, and roll out the ID card in collaboration with border agencies.
“Free movement in Africa is not just about trade but it is about dignity, opportunity, and economic justice,” Mr. Akaba-Norvixoxo emphasised.
“AfCFTA and ECOWAS have laid the foundation. Now governments must deliver and support innovations like the Women Traders Border ID Card that put policies into practice.“
