In many countries in Africa, the majority of small farmers are women. They produce crops such as maize, cassava, cotton, and rice that have enormous potential for increased trade between African countries and with the global market.
Women are also involved in providing services across borders, such as education, health, and professional services like accountancy and law.
“Every day in Africa, hundreds of thousands of women cross borders to deliver goods and services from areas where they are relatively cheap to areas in which they are in shorter supply,” says Paul Brenton, Africa Trade Practice Leader for the World Bank.
However, Africa’s trade potential is undermined by constraints that women face. The contribution of women to trade is much less than it could be because of nontariff barriers that impinge particularly heavily on the trade activities of women and women-owned enterprises. These barriers often push women traders and producers into the informal economy where a lack of access to finance, information, and networks jeopardizes their capacity to grow and develop businesses.