The national cross border women trader’s association has held it annual general meeting to take stock and plan towards its 2025 activities
The annual general meeting was under the theme Unleashing the Power of Cross Border Women Traders: Innovation, Security, Compliance, Resilience and Sustainability,
The AGM was held at the Ghana Custom officers Mess in Aflao in the Volta region with over 300 women traders executives and members from for its Akanu border, Aflao, Elubo. Paga border attended
Addressing the members and stakeholders, The National President of CBWTAG, Ms Lucky Rose Honodzi, stated that cross border women played crucial roles in the development of the country, as they tried to improve on the living standard of their families, hence the need to provide them with the necessary support and a levelled playing field to thrive especially the cross border women trader who is faced with a lot gender barriers such as non-inclusion in practical day to day decision making in the border management system to promote trade
She added that, for ECOWAS and AfCFTA to achieve its objective of free movement and promoting trade facilitation in West Africa, the focus on capacity building, cross border women inclusion in trade policy formulation and support for women led implementation and support at the borders are Key hence a call on development partners and government to reach the association at the grassroots
Additionally, the association has noted that it is important for stakeholders to note that whiles calling for compliance, most border officials should be made to understand their role as trade facilitators in supporting the women traders to comply with trade laws within the sub region that will go a long way to help generate the right revenue for the state in its development agenda
The Chairperson of the Gender Sub-Committee on Trade (GSCT) under the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MOTI), Ms Naah Ayitteh Densua, has assured the Association that efforts are being made to address the challenges confronting them in carrying out their business activities along Ghana’s borders.
Ms Densua said issues such as security problems at the borders, lack of easy access to financial support, lack of infrastructure, including markets and health facilities at the borders remained as some of the problems facing CBWT in the country.
Ms Densua emphasized the immense contributions of the association to the economic growth of the country which required that they be supported to carry out their businesses and trades effectively.
Ms Densua appealed to security agencies at the borders to introduce modern communication methods in pictorial form, and placed at vantage areas at the borders which would easily be understood by the women traders and do well to engage more with the association executives in resolving possible misunderstanding, saying the association is here to help themselves and you the border officials in generating revenue for the state and supporting in security compliance
The Principal Operations Officer of the Ghana Shippers Council (GSC), Mrs Adelaide Nyamekye-Addo, commended Trade Mark Africa, an international non-governmental organization, for supporting NCBWTAG to organize it’s first general meeting.
She lauded NCBWTAG for the formation of the Association, which would help the traders to be easily identified saying the shippers authority will be ready to assist the association in trade facilitation.