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Women top the informal sector in trade, accounting for 74 percent in operations even as youths form critical part in the subregion, the ECOWAS Commission has said.
The Director at the ECOWAS Commission Trade Directorate, Christopher Mensah-Yawson, revealed at the ECOWAS Parliament 2026 First Extraordinary Session and Parliamentary Seminar in Abuja, during which he stressed the need to remove trade barriers and bottlenecks for the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) to succeed and deliver its target.
“Women and youth face multiple challenges, including complex customs procedures, limited awareness of trade regimes, inadequate access to finance and storage facilities, gender-insensitive border infrastructure, harassment, extortion, and security risks.
“Our population exceeds 456 million, nearly half are women, and the median age is 18.2 years. These are enormous opportunities, but also serious challenges for integration and development," he said.
According to him, AfCFTA remains ECOWAS platform for inclusive trade, with provisions such as the Protocol on Women and Youth in Trade, simplified trade regimes, digital trade frameworks, and SME support programmes, among others.
The Director identified ECOWAS initiatives aimed at empowering women and youth as;the Informal Trade Regularization Support Programme, the Trade and Gender Framework (2024–2030), the Regional E-Commerce Strategy, and digital skills training for rural women. Partnerships with Ecobank and the International Trade Centre to strengthen women-led businesses and youth entrepreneurship.
“Member States must accelerate reforms to formalise informal trade, protect vulnerable traders, and remove structural barriers to formal markets.
“Women and youth are central to economic resilience, food security, and sustainable development in West Africa.
“The future of West Africa’s trade depends on making AfCFTA work for those historically excluded from formal markets,” Mensah-Yawson stated.
The seminar, which is part of the broader Extraordinary Session of the ECOWAS Parliament, brought together lawmakers, regional institutions, development partners, and trade experts to explore strategies for expanding intra-regional trade and ensuring AfCFTA benefits all segments of society.
Officials admitted that informal trade, though often overlooked in statistics, sustains millions of households, especially in border communities, and is essential for food security, market stability, and regional connectivity.